"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 Moscow's full-scale invasion nearly four years ago. Friday's strike off the coast of Libya, which reportedly caused critical damage, took place on the day of Vladimir Putin's annual end of year press conference in which he said Russia would respond to recent Ukrainian attacks on shadow fleet tankers."
"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 Moscow's illegal invasion. Estimated to comprise more than 1,000 ships, which frequently change their flags and whose ownership is unclear, the fleet has enabled Moscow to keep exporting its crude oil for much-needed revenue despite the curbs. Experts and several European leaders believe some vessels have been used by Russia to conduct hybrid warfare across the continent."
"Commenting on the latest attack, Putin on Friday said Russia would definitely respond to Ukraine's attacks on its so-called shadow fleet. Ultimately, this will not lead to the expected result, he said. It will not disrupt any supplies, but will only create additional threats, he said, without directly commenting on the latest attack in the Mediterranean. The Russian leader has previously threatened to sever Ukraine's access to the Black Sea in response to the attacks on tankers, which he has derided as piracy."
Ukraine attacked a Russian shadow fleet tanker with aerial drones about 1,250 miles (2,000 km) from its borders, the first such strike in the Mediterranean since Russia's full-scale invasion. The Libya strike reportedly caused critical damage and coincided with Vladimir Putin's end-of-year press conference, where he warned Russia would respond to attacks on shadow fleet tankers. The shadow fleet, estimated at over 1,000 ships that frequently change flags and have unclear ownership, enables Russia, Iran and Venezuela to evade sanctions and continue crude exports. Kyiv previously targeted shadow tankers in the Black Sea to disrupt revenue funding Moscow's invasion, and experts and several European leaders say some vessels support hybrid warfare across the continent.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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