Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces carried out a strike against the russian shadow fleet in the Sea of Azov that yielded spectacular results. According to Robert "Madyar" Brovdi, Commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces, the strike was launched on the night of July 7 against eight tankers, as well as a cargo ship and a ferry.
"All the tankers have been identified. They are subject to international sanctions, have a deadweight of approximately 7,000 tons, measure around 140 meters in length, and were built between 2006 and 2012," Robert "Madyar" Brovdi stated. A video of the attack was also released.
Read more: Ukrainian Intelligence Destroys Two russian Orion Combat Drones at Kerch Airfield (Video)
The goal of this strike is not only to destroy the russian shadow fleet, but also to impose a fuel blockade on temporarily occupied Crimea.
It is also worth noting that the operators of drones believed to be FP-2s took out one tanker after another by targeting the vessels' deckhouses.
The strike appears designed to simultaneously damage the tanker's bridge, engine room, and cargo oil tanks.
The scale of the attack involving dozens of drones becomes even more apparent when considering where exactly in the Sea of Azov it took place. Although the location of the incident has not been officially announced, it is fairly easy to determine.
In particular, NASA's FIRMS fire-monitoring service detected intense fires in the Sea of Azov, approximately 15 km northeast of occupied Kerch and about four km from Cape Khroni, off the coast of temporarily occupied Crimea.
In addition, public satellite images from the European Space Agency dated July 6 show a large number of vessels congregated in this area. However, these vessels do not appear on maritime traffic tracking services, which means their transponders are turned off.
In other words, the successful operation took place in the immediate vicinity of the coast of the temporarily occupied Crimea and just 20 km from the Kerch Bridge, which is supposed to be protected as much as possible from attacks. Moreover, despite the proximity of russian air bases on occupied Crimea and in Krasnodar Krai, russia was unable to provide air cover for its ships.
It is also worth noting that, while waiting to pass through the Kerch Strait, vessels have also gathered closer to the Kuban coast.
As of July 6, more than 10 vessels remained in the second group, having also switched off their transponders and disappeared from maritime traffic tracking services.
From the Defense Express side, we urges you to join a fundraising for what is already working: One United Fundraiser: Fundraising by the Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation for interceptor drones.
Read more: Ukraine Hits russian Microelectronics Plant, Chemical Factory, and Crimean Bridges in Coordinated Overnight Strike
