Ukrainian attacks on Russian vessels, including oil tankers from the "Russian shadow fleet", are actions conducted by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) targeting Russia-linked ships. Primarily carried out in the Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea, these strikes represent a significant escalation of Ukraine's maritime warfare strategy. Among their targets are vessels allegedly used to circumvent international sanctions on Russian energy exports.
Background
Ukraine has conducted maritime operations against Russian forces since the 2022 invasion. However, 2025 marked a dramatic shift in scale and geographic scope, with Ukraine developing and deploying advanced unmanned naval systems known as "Sea Baby" and "Sub Sea Baby" drones. The campaign focused on two primary objectives: degrading the Russian Black Sea Fleet and disrupting Russia's "shadow fleet" — a network of roughly 1,000 vessels used to transport Russian oil in violation of Western sanctions and the G7 oil price cap. According to a report by The Atlantic, citing U.S. and Ukrainian officials, the Trump administration did not object to the Ukrainian strikes on the "shadow fleet", and approved assistance for the strikes, with the US considering the strikes an "important tool" to put pressure on the Kremlin to negotiate peace. The publication details that Donald Trump did not object to attacks on Russian oil logistics in international waters and, in several instances, approved sharing intelligence with Kyiv. This intelligence was subsequently used to target Russian oil infrastructure.
Maritime sabotage Multiple vessels which had recently called at Russian ports have been attacked with limpet mines or underwater explosives in the Mediterranean, many operated by Athens-based shipping company Thenamaris.
A report from the security company Ambrey concludes that the attacks were perpetrated by "an unnamed state actor targeting ships calling at oil ports" likely using limpet mines with delay action planted by divers using small submarines. Two vessels were sunk, the 9500 ton freighter Ursa Major off Spain on 24 December 2024 and the 164000 ton super tanker Koala while moored at Ust-Luga, Leningrad Oblast, on 9 February 2025 and three others, Seajewel, Seacharm and Grace Ferrum were damaged. Despite the lack of concrete evidence or official results from investigations, the repeated targeting of ships associated with Russian trade has led security analysts and maritime industry bodies to privately assess a probable link to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Despite the fact that the Ambrey report attributed the attacks to an unspecified state actor without naming Ukraine, private discussions among security professionals from both private firms and government agencies have frequently identified Ukrainian actors as the most likely perpetrators. According to Lloyd's List, U.S. is believed to have used diplomatic backchannels to convey a warning to the Ukrainian government in early 2025. The message reportedly indicated that if Ukraine had any involvement in the attacks, such operations should be halted immediately. Former Royal Navy officer Tom Sharpe believes that the series of targeted explosions on tankers exporting Russian oil is very likely carried out by Ukrainian special operations forces using limpet mines as a tool of precise sabotage. He assesses these operations as a form of highly effective unconventional warfare that hits the infrastructure supporting Russia's oil revenues without causing direct escalation to open conflict with the West.
Confirmed and suspected operations
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