Ukraine attacks Russian 'shadow' tanker off Libyan coast [View all]
Source: The Guardian
Ukraine says it has attacked a Russian shadow fleet tanker with aerial drones 1,250 miles (2,000km) from its borders, in the first such strike in the Mediterranean Sea since Moscows full-scale invasion nearly four years ago.
Fridays strike off the coast of Libya, which reportedly caused critical damage, took place on the day of Vladimir Putins annual end of year press conference in which he said Russia would respond to recent Ukrainian attacks on shadow fleet tankers.
It came amid an escalating maritime conflict over the shadow fleet, a term used to describe vessels used by Russia, Iran and Venezuela to evade sanctions with deceptive practices.
Kyiv has previously targeted Russian shadow tankers in the Black Sea as it has sought to interdict an important source of revenue that is being used to finance Moscows illegal invasion.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/19/ukraine-attacks-russian-shadow-tanker-off-libyan-coast