Ukrainian security services have released striking new footage from a naval drone that struck russian Dashan shadow fleet tanker in the Black Sea on December 10. The video, recorded from the onboard camera of a surface unmanned system, captures the final seconds before impact and the powerful explosions that followed near the vessel's stern.
The tanker, sailing under the flag of the Comoros Islands, was moving at full speed with its transponder switched off, one of the trademarks of russia's sanctions-evading maritime logistics network. According to Ukrainian sources, the vessel was traveling through Ukraine's Exclusive Economic Zone toward the russian port terminal of Novorossiysk when it was intercepted.
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The strike was part of a coordinated operation carried out jointly by the 13th Main Directorate of Military Counterintelligence of the Security Service of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Navy. Using Sea Baby maritime drones, an indigenous platform known for long-range precision attacks, Ukrainian forces successfully hit the tanker despite its evasive maneuvers.
As a result of the attack, the Dashan tanker sustained severe damage, with explosions clearly visible in the aft section of the ship. The scale of destruction suggests that the vessel may be rendered inoperable for an extended period, further complicating russia's efforts to maintain maritime fuel transport routes.
Sources familiar with the operation estimate the value of the tanker at approximately $30 million. On each voyage, it reportedly carried around $60 million worth of petroleum products, cargo that directly supports russia's war logistics and its attempts to bypass international sanctions.
The tanker was not an unfamiliar target to global regulators. The European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Switzerland had previously imposed sanctions on the Dashan vessel for its role in russia's covert oil shipping schemes. Despite these restrictions, the vessel continued to operate within the so-called shadow fleet, a network that relies on concealment and risk-tolerant operators.
As Defense Express previously reported, Ukraine's drone operators have delivered another significant blow to russia's already strained air defense capabilities. Fighters of the Nemesis 412th Brigade successfully eliminated two Tor-M1 short-range air defense systems and one Buk-M3, one of the newest and most advanced platforms in the russian arsenal.
Read more: Ukrainian Forces Destroy Two Tor-M1 and Buk-M3 Systems in Major Strike Against russian Air Defense (Video)
