On the night of July 15, the Unmanned Systems Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine struck Russian shadow fleet tankers directly in the Black Sea waters for the first time since the start of Operation “MoLoCHka.” Prior to this, strikes had been carried out exclusively in the Sea of Azov for nine consecutive days.
Commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces Robert “Magyar” Brovdi reported that a new, Black Sea cluster of the operation was opened in time for Ukrainian Statehood Day. During the very first night of operations by the “USF Birds” in the new waters, 20 vessels were struck: 17 oil tankers, two gas tankers, and one tugboat.
Brovdi decoded the operation’s name as an acronym for the phrase “MOskva Lyazhe Cherez Krym. Amin” (“Moscow Will Fall Through Crimea. Amen”).
The total tally of the USF’s maritime hunt over ten days — from July 6 to July 15 — stands at 136 units of Russia’s shadow fleet: 116 vessels in the Sea of Azov and 20 in the Black Sea. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine also participated in the Black Sea strikes.
Units involved: battalion “Kairos” of the 414th Separate Brigade USF “Magyar’s Birds,” 1st Separate Center USF, 20th Separate Brigade USF “K-2,” 412th Separate Brigade USF “Nemesic,” 427th Separate Brigade USF “Rarog,” and the 413th Separate Regiment USF “Raid.”
According to Brovdi’s explanation, the primary targets are small and medium “feeder” vessels — flat-bottomed ships approximately 140 meters in length with a deadweight of up to 7,000 tons, which serve as couriers. They travel through the Volga-Don Canal and the Sea of Azov, transporting petroleum products to large-tonnage tankers waiting at anchor in the Black Sea. One large tanker takes on cargo from approximately 12–15 such small vessels.
Disabling this courier link paralyzes oil exports through the Azov–Black Sea corridor and simultaneously restricts the supply of scarce fuel to occupied Crimea through the narrow bottleneck of the Kerch Strait.
According to an assessment by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), the number of vessels with active AIS transponders in the region has decreased by approximately 55% — from 267 at the end of June to 120 as of July 11. Near Kerch, the drop is even more dramatic — 75%, from 37 to 9 vessels. This indicates that part of the fleet is either disabling its transponders to hide from strikes or has genuinely left the area.
According to Bloomberg, disruptions to shipping in the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait have already affected global wheat prices, which have risen.
Analysts note that the strikes on the shadow fleet compound an already difficult situation for Russian oil exports: the discount between Urals and Brent grades has reached $20–25 per barrel, and the EU is preparing yet another, 21st sanctions package, with its main focus squarely on the shadow fleet and companies involved in the export of stolen Ukrainian grain.
In response to the fuel shortage, Russia has begun importing gasoline from India, produced from cheap Russian oil. According to Reuters, these supplies are intended to help stabilize the domestic market, which has suffered serious disruptions due to Ukrainian strikes on oil refining and logistics infrastructure.