Ukraine says it struck Russian shadow fleet oil tanker in Black Sea
By Kosta Gak, Caitlin Danaher, Catherine Nicholls, CNN
(CNN) — Ukraine struck an oil tanker belonging to Russia’s so-called shadow fleet in the Black Sea on Wednesday, according to an official in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
A Ukrainian security source told CNN that Sea Baby maritime drones were used in a joint operation by the SBU and the navy. It was the third attack against Russian tankers in two weeks.
Russia has been using hundreds of tankers, flying different flags, to clandestinely ship its oil to customers in defiance of Western sanctions.
The Dashan tanker, which was flying the flag of the Comoro Islands, suffered “critical damage,” with preliminary information indicating the ship was “disabled,” the source said. There was no immediate comment from Russia.
Video obtained by CNN shows a Sea Baby drone diving under the tanker before a series of explosions in the vessels’s stern area. Thick plumes of smoke then engulf the tanker.
It was not immediately clear what cargo the vessel was carrying or whether the strike caused an oil spill.
The ship was traveling at top speed through Ukraine’s exclusive economic zone, with its transponder turned off, when it was hit, the SBU source said.
The vessel had been moving toward Russia’s Novorossiysk port terminal, a key Russian oil hub, the source added.
The port was hit last month, when Ukraine struck one of Moscow’s largest oil export facilities. The attack, acknowledged by officials from both countries, marked an escalation of Kyiv’s efforts to target a key source of Russian war revenue.
“The SBU continues to take active measures to reduce oil dollar revenues to the Russian budget,” the source said.
The Ukrainian military operation follows a similar strike on two Russian shadow fleet tankers in late November. The SBU said the strike dealt a “significant blow to the transportation of Russian oil.”
Trump’s assessment disputed
The latest Ukrainian assault followed US President Donald Trump claim Tuesday that Moscow has the “upper hand” in its ongoing invasion of Ukraine and that Kyiv is “losing” the war.
Multiple Ukrainian and European officials have disputed Trump’s claims, although Ukraine’s position is acknowledged to be challenging. There are no new US or European assessments to suggest there have been significant changes on the battlefield that indicate Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces will triumph anytime soon, the officials told CNN.
Meanwhile, talks over a US-proposed peace deal between Ukraine and Russia are continuing but have not achieved a breakthrough.
US and Ukrainian delegations met virtually Wednesday to discuss plans for the reconstruction and economic development of Ukraine after the war with Russia ends, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a post on X.
The US delegation included Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent; Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner; and Larry Fink, chairman and CEO of BlackRock, according to the Ukrainian leader.
“We discussed key elements for recovery, various mechanisms and visions for reconstruction. There are many ideas that, with the right approach, could succeed in Ukraine,” Zelensky said.
The Ukrainians also “updated our reflections on the 20 points of the framework document for ending the war,” he said. Zelensky thanked Trump and his team “for their substantive work and support.”
CNN’s Jim Sciutto contributed to this report.
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