Ukraine Says it Hit Eight Tankers, Escalating Attacks to “Industrial Level”
Ukraine continues to elevate its level of attacks, with the latest reported attacks concentrating on Crimea and the fuel supplied to the occupied region. The commander of the drone force referred to the attacks overnight as having been raised to an “industrial level.”
The report said they had successfully attacked eight tankers carrying gasoline to Crimea, and this followed two additional tankers that were struck on Monday. Ukraine claimed that when fully laden, the tankers could have been carrying approximately 40,000 to 50,000 tonnes of fuel.
It said the tankers were “part of the Azov-Crimea fuel route, transporting gasoline and petroleum products between Russian ports, the Kerch Strait, and occupied Crimea.”
The commanders said the vessels are under international sanctions. It said each was approximately 7,000 dwt, a length of 140 meters (459 feet), and built between 2006 and 2021. It listed off the names of the vessels as Venera-3, Sanar-1, Sanar-17, Klymena, Teti, Alexey Savrasov, Penelope, and one that was still to be identified.
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
The Ukrainian Army said it was part of a larger scope of attacks with a total of 58 legitimate military targets.
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In addition to the tankers, they also reported hitting a bulk carrier in the Sea of Azov and a ferry near occupied Crimea. Other targets were reported as fuel tanks that had been badly damaged. The report said the power in occupied Crimea had been disrupted.
Russia claimed to have retaliated with strikes on Ukrainian port facilities, energy infrastructure, logistics centers, and other assets. Further, the Ministry of Defense claimed to have shot down 11 aerial bombs, 27 rockets, two long-range guided missiles, and 797 drones. They also said that Russia’s Black Sea Fleet destroyed six Ukrainian unmanned surface vessels.
