In an attempt to salvage the remnants of its “shadow fleet” from devastating Ukrainian drone strikes, Russians have found a new hiding place for surviving oil tankers in riverbeds.
Russia is trying to hide its “shadow fleet” in rivers / © from social media
Following a large-scale campaign by the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Unmanned Systems Forces to destroy Russia’s “shadow fleet,” the occupiers have begun hiding their small oil tankers in the Don Riverbed. Vessels that previously freely operated in the waters of the Sea of Azov are now hiding in inland waters to avoid Ukrainian strikes.
This is reported by the international intelligence community InformNapalm.
A hiding place that could become a trap
Analysts cite the 62-meter Russian oil tanker Midel as an example, which was recently spotted in river waters. However, intelligence experts emphasize that such a tactic to save vessels could prove fatal for the Russians.
If Ukrainian strike drones begin to attack these ships directly in the riverbed, this hiding place will instantly turn into a trap. In this case, Russian tanker convoys will be blocked and burned on the water, just as enemy armored vehicles were massively destroyed on highways at the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
Ukraine is attacking RF tankers – latest news
Security expert Andriy Klimenko explained that after significant losses of the Black Sea Fleet, Russia can no longer reliably cover its main export ports in the Sea of Azov. The occupiers have effectively lost the resources to protect strategic hubs such as Azov, Rostov-on-Don, and Taganrog, through which huge volumes of oil, grain, and other products pass.
During the full-scale war, the Russian Navy has lost over 40 ships, so the remnants of the fleet are now forced to hide under air defense cover near Novorossiysk. As long as this window of vulnerability exists, the Armed Forces of Ukraine continue to logically take advantage of the opportunity and actively strike enemy logistics.
On the night of Saturday, July 11, Ukrainian troops launched new large-scale attacks on Russian vessels and port infrastructure, leading to a temporary halt in shipping on the Don-Azov Canal. According to the commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces, Robert Brovdi, 28 Russian vessels, including oil tankers and dry cargo ships, were hit that night.
As a result of these attacks, Russia was forced to completely block traffic through the Kerch Strait, which connects the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. Assessing the huge risks of disruption to export supplies due to such strict restrictions, traders on world exchanges immediately reacted by raising wheat prices.
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