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Russia’s Shadow Fleet Takes a Nighttime Beating as Ukraine Hits 10 Vessels, Video
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Ukraine’s Defense Forces struck eight Russian shadow fleet tankers in a single night, Robert Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, reported on July 7.
According to Brovdi, Ukrainian drones also hit a dry cargo vessel and a ferry during the same operation.
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“The shadow fleet exits the chat,” Brovdi wrote.
He said pilots from the Kairos unit of the 414th Brigade, known as Madyar’s Birds, “hunted down and lit up” eight Russian shadow fleet tankers overnight.
“The battle for gasoline for Crimea in the Sea of Azov continues,” Brovdi said.
Overnight, USF units struck 10 vessels involved in russian maritime logistics in the Sea of Azov and near occupied Crimea.
— 🇺🇦 Unmanned Systems Forces (@usf_army) July 7, 2026
Pilots of “Kairos” from the @414magyarbirds hit 8 tankers of russia’s shadow fleet in the Sea of Azov. These tankers are part of the Azov–Crimea fuel route,… pic.twitter.com/0uOQY4daj5
He described the July 7 overnight operation as an “air-sea battle” that reached an “industrial level,” with eight fuel tankers, one dry cargo ship, and one ferry struck.
“The fuel tubs are badly damaged and burning; sanctions from the sky of the freedom-loving Ukrainian bird of the Unmanned Systems Forces are in action,” Brovdi said.
According to him, all of the tankers were identified and are under international sanctions. Each has a deadweight of around 7,000 tons, is roughly 140 meters long, and was built between 2006 and 2012.
The listed vessels include Venera-3, Sanar-1, Sanar-17, Klimena, Teti, Aleksey Savrasov, Penelopa, and one more vessel that is still being identified.
Brovdi also said that during the night of July 7, Ukrainian drone units successfully struck 58 legitimate military targets in Russia’s operational depth on temporarily occupied territories.
He added that Crimea’s energy infrastructure was also hit overnight.
“The Crimean switch was blinking tonight too—energy nodes burned along with logistics. Details on that movement later,” Brovdi said.
Overall, Ukraine’s drone warfare campaign has hit more than 800,000 confirmed Russian military targets and killed or seriously wounded an estimated 167,000 Russian troops since the beginning of 2026.
According to the Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, the verified targets engaged this year include Russian personnel, air defense systems, artillery, multiple launch rocket systems, drones, ground robotic platforms, military vehicles, command centers, ammunition depots, and electronic warfare equipment.
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