Russia has suspended shipping in the Sea of Azov after Ukrainian drone strikes targeted 90 vessels in less than a week, including shadow fleet oil tankers. The attacks have effectively closed a vital maritime corridor connecting Russia with eastern Europe.
Drone strikes hit tankers, ferries, and refineries
Ukraine’s drone forces chief, Robert Brovdi, said on Sunday that his units had hit 10 tankers and four ferries overnight, as well as a major oil refinery in the city of Syzran. Several strikes on electricity substations in occupied Crimea were also reported. “The technological humiliation of the [Russian] empire continues. It will fall because of Crimea,” Brovdi wrote on social media, adding that Moscow’s shadow fleet was “noticeably shrinking” and could no longer use the Kerch strait.
The Sea of Azov is a crucial waterway for Russia, used to ship oil, grain, steel, and other products to international markets. Russia suspended shipping through the Don-Azov canal on Friday, according to Reuters. The canal connects with a Russian river network and the Caspian Sea, and the export route via Kerch and the Bosphorus strait in Turkey is effectively shut down.
Strategic importance and impact
Ukraine’s former defence minister, Andriy Zagorodnyuk, said the Kremlin had lost control of a “critical” maritime corridor. The blockade affects military vessels and shipping transporting grain stolen from occupied southern Ukraine through the ports of Berdyansk and Mariupol. “The Caspian Sea doesn’t have any connection to the world’s oceans. It has turned into a lake. All of its products – agricultural, fertiliser, whatever – go through this channel and river,” Zagorodnyuk said. Russia’s small flotilla in the Caspian is likewise trapped, and he predicted further strikes on Russian ships near Novorossiysk.
Ukraine has systematically destroyed much of Russia’s radar and anti-aircraft defences, enabling devastating long-range strikes on oil refineries, including one last week in the Siberian city of Omsk, 2,700km from Ukrainian territory. Residents in Syzran reported drones at 5am on Sunday followed by loud explosions; photos and videos showed a large fire at the oil refinery, with thick black smoke rising above an industrial area. The complex supplies the Russian military and sends fuel abroad via the Azov-Kerch canal.
Broader strategy to isolate Crimea
Kyiv has also launched mid-range strikes on land and sea supply routes into occupied Crimea, hitting lorries, ships, and crossing points. One tanker caught fire overnight as it entered the Azov-Black Sea canal, Russian officials said. On Sunday, local channels reported two large oil spills off Taganrog. Yevgeniya Gaber, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, said the attacks are part of a broader strategy to isolate Crimea and “turn it into an island”. The goal is “to progressively degrade Russia’s ability to sustain offensive operations by disrupting logistics, fuel supplies and transport infrastructure, and cutting off military units in the south of Ukraine”, she said.
Gaber added: “There is not a single oil refinery that is unhit now. Maritime logistics in the Sea of Azov, all of this fits into the same strategy and operational concept, which is a strategic neutralisation of Russia. I’m sure we will see more deep strikes on Russian territory.” Video released by Brovdi’s unmanned strike aviation brigade, Magyar’s Birds, shows Russian tankers fitted with protective cages and ropes, but these have not prevented night-time drone strikes. Crews have abandoned some damaged and burnt-out vessels, leaving them adrift.
Consequences for Crimea and Ukraine
Repeated Ukrainian attacks have forced authorities in Crimea to declare a state of emergency. Widespread electricity blackouts, acute petrol shortages, and a collapse of the tourist industry have been reported. Car drivers have been forced to travel to Russia for fuel, with long queues at petrol stations. Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the strikes on Russia’s energy infrastructure as part of Kyiv’s campaign of “long-range sanctions” in response to Moscow’s refusal to end the war. Vladimir Putin insists his original military goals remain unchanged.
Overnight, three people were killed in Russian attacks on Ukraine’s central Dnipropetrovsk region, including two in a bombing of an industrial facility in Zelenskyy’s home city of Kryvyi Rih, regional officials said. A separate drone attack on Kherson killed a 48-year-old, reported its mayor, Yaroslav Shanko.
