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Russian Oil Tankers Add Anti-Drone Nets and Cages as Ukrainian Attacks Intensify
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Russian oil tankers and port facilities are increasingly being fitted with anti-drone nets and protective cages as Moscow seeks to shield its energy and military infrastructure from continued Ukrainian attacks.
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The 28-year-old Caruzo, a tanker under EU and UK sanctions, recently left the Black Sea through the Bosphorus equipped with anti-drone netting and stackable water tanks attached along its sides, according to Financial Times on August 13, citing footage recorded by shipping analyst Yoruk Isik.
The vessel’s bridge was covered with netting, while metal structures were installed over its roof. The crew had also effectively “boxed themselves in” behind the protective measures, according to Samir Madani, co-founder of the shipping monitoring website Tankertrackers.com.
“The fear is real,” Madani said.
Extensive anti-drone nets and metal cages have become a common defensive measure on land in Ukraine, but their appearance on commercial vessels marks a more recent development. Another sanctioned tanker, the Rizvel, has also been spotted sailing in the Sea of Marmara south of Istanbul with similar protective netting, Isik said.
Similar measures have also appeared at Russia’s Novorossiysk port, which hosts a naval base used by the Russian Black Sea Fleet. According to Financila Times, satellite imagery from Airbus shows large nets and other fortifications around the base, while booms and barges have been positioned at the harbor entrance to obstruct access from the sea.
The development comes as Ukrainian forces launched an overnight strike on a Russian naval base in Novorossiysk, hitting air defense positions, port berths, and other naval infrastructure.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that Novorossiysk serves as Russia’s last major naval stronghold in the Black Sea and is located more than 300 kilometers from the frontline. According to him, the operation involved Palianytsia rocket drones, Neptune missiles, and maritime unmanned systems.
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