Ukraine Conflict Monitor

Spotlight: Ukraine strikes three Russian shadow fleet vessels amid the ongoing campaign targeting the Russian oil industry

On 28 May, likely Ukrainian drones struck three crude oil tankers in Turkey’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) — a James II tanker, recently removed from the Palau ship registry, and two Altura and ​Velora tankers registered in Sierra Leone. All three ships belong to the Russian shadow fleet, which transports Russian oil under flags of third states to evade sanctions.¹ James II is under British and Australian sanctions, while Altura and Velora are sanctioned by the European Union, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Canada.²

Beyond transporting sanctioned oil, Russian shadow fleet vessels have also been linked to sabotage and surveillance activity in Europe, yet European states lack jurisdiction for a meaningful response and detain such ships mainly to verify their nationality.³ Ukraine is legally allowed to capture Russian commercial vessels outside of the territorial waters of third states, even when they fly the flag of third states;⁴ however, it lacks the capacity to do so. Instead, Ukraine opts for drone strikes, which are commonly considered to be legally gray due to the differing interpretations of whether Russian shadow fleet vessels constitute military objectives. 

Ukraine’s strikes on the Russian shadow fleet have escalated since November last year, when Ukraine started using Sea Baby naval drones to target these vessels. Since then, ACLED records a dozen such attacks in the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Senegal, and in Russian ports. Unlike a similar attack in November 2025 that drew criticism from Turkish authorities, Turkey did not issue a comment on these attacks, merely warning against an “uncontrolled escalation” in response to the Russian drone strike on a Turkish-owned cargo ship hours later.⁵ This restraint may indicate Turkey’s attempt to maintain neutrality in order to play a bigger role in the conflict settlement between Ukraine and Russia.⁶

Ukraine’s strikes on Russian shadow fleet vessels come amid a sustained campaign targeting the Russian oil industry. Last week, Ukraine struck oil facilities — including an oil tanker, a terminal, two refineries, and a pumping station — in six regions of Russia. With its profitable oil export industry remaining under attack, and defense spending becoming increasingly unsustainable, Russian officials reportedly proposed scaling back military spending or cutting budget elsewhere.⁷ As Russia fails to achieve its military objectives and shows no sign of de-escalation, its deteriorating economy may be the only tangible factor that prompts Russia to return to the negotiating table with Ukraine.