Ukrainian sea drones on Wednesday hit and disabled a tanker involved in trading Russian oil as it sailed through Ukraine’s exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea to the Russian port of Novorossiysk, a Ukrainian official said. The attack is the third sea drone strike in two weeks on vessels part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” of unregulated and often western-sanctioned ships helping Moscow export oil to fund the war.
The Dashan tanker was sailing at maximum speed with its transponders off when powerful explosions hit its stern, inflicting critical damage, the official at the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said. The strike on the Dashan, which is under EU and British sanctions and is sailing without a known flag registry, was also confirmed by three maritime security sources. “The SBU continues to take active measures to reduce petrodollar revenues to the Russian budget,” said the official.
Leaders of the “coalition of the willing” group of nations will hold a video call on Thursday as the chaotic American efforts to push through a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine reach a crunch moment, Shaun Walker writes from Kyiv. It comes after the White House attempted to foist upon Ukraine a Moscow-favoured proposal that included giving up even more Ukrainian territory to Russia than the invaders currently illegally occupy. Ukraine on Wednesday said it had sent an updated proposal to Washington that “takes into account Ukraine’s vision – it is a further proposal for adequate solutions to problematic issues … We are not disclosing the details pending the reaction of the American side.”
