Ukraine has intensified its campaign against Russian energy export infrastructure, striking multiple shadow fleet tankers, a Baltic Sea oil terminal and a Russian naval vessel. In a series of strikes over recent days, Ukrainian forces have targeted vessels and port infrastructure across both the Black Sea and Baltic Sea, in what Kyiv has said is a sustained effort to choke off the revenues funding Russia’s war machine. On Sunday, president Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukrainian forces had struck two shadow fleet tankers near the entrance to Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, as well as hitting the Baltic Sea port of Primorsk – one of Russia’s largest oil export gateways, capable of handling up to 1m barrels per day. A Karakurt-class guided missile corvette, a patrol boat and a further tanker were also struck during the Primorsk operation. “These tankers were actively used for transporting oil. Now they will not be,” Zelenskyy said. “Ukraine’s long-range capabilities will continue to be developed comprehensively – at sea, in the air, and on land.” The Russian regional governor confirmed a fire broke out at Primorsk, though he said it was quickly extinguished with no oil spill. More than 60 drones were reportedly downed overnight during the operation. The attacks follow the targeting of dark fleet tanker Marquise on April 26, when two uncrewed surface vessels struck the vessel in the Black Sea. In related news, Swedish authorities boarded the sanctioned product tanker Jin Hui yesterday on suspicion the vessel was operating under a false flag and was not seaworthy. The Swedish Coast Guard and Police Authority boarded the ship after monitoring it for some time beforehand. Authorities said the operation was their fifth intervention in succession and the third involving suspected unseaworthy vessels. The Jin Hui, a 2009-built tanker sanctioned by both the EU and UK, is suspected of sailing under a false Syrian flag due to “significant irregularities” in its registry documentation. The vessel is now expected to be escorted to an anchorage south of Trelleborg while investigations continue. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1_95_0_1_2'); }); TagsRussia Ukraine