Ukraine war situation update | 4 – 10 July 2026

Spotlight: Ukraine intensifies its campaign of targeting Russian vessels to cripple maritime export and supply routes

Beginning on 6 July, Ukraine has embarked on a campaign of targeted drone strikes on Russian and Russian-affiliated vessels, primarily in the Azov Sea, but also in the Black Sea. By 13 July, the number of impacted vessels exceeded 100 and will likely keep growing until maritime traffic to the Russian and Russian-controlled shores in the Azov Sea is effectively crippled. Most of the targeted vessels were Russian and foreign-flagged shadow fleet oil tankers, but Ukrainian drones also struck several tugboats, cargo ships, and ferries. During one of the attacks on 10 July, a crew member of an oil tanker was killed.

These naval attacks are yet another escalation in Ukraine’s campaign of targeting the Russian oil industry and energy sector more broadly, which started with long-range attacks on mainly export-oriented oil infrastructure in Russia back in 2024. The campaign has since expanded to other fuel and power infrastructure, as well as to Russian shadow fleet vessels transporting sanctioned oil. This latest series of strikes completely overshadowed attacks on over 20 Russian shadow fleet vessels recorded since 2025, prior to this escalation. 

The choice of the Azov Sea as the area of focus for these strikes seems aimed not just at clogging traffic but also at being symbolic, since the sea is surrounded by a Russian-controlled coast and is treated by Russia as its internal waters. All vessels in the area have either a Russian registration or a Russian authorization to engage in Russian trade or logistics. The attacks also support Ukraine’s recent campaign to isolate Crimea by targeting not only the land logistics network but also maritime supply routes.

Ukraine justified the campaign by claiming that Russian shadow fleet vessels are lawful military targets because they financially sustain the Russian war in Ukraine due to sanction evasion and high profits. The legality of targeting a civilian industry due to its financial contribution to military spending is heavily disputed, particularly in the naval context, where seizure – not the targeting of enemy civilian vessels – is a recognized lawful method of economic warfare. In particular, the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization condemned the attacks against civilian merchant ships in the Azov and Black Seas, stating that they were not parties to the conflict. Aside from the legality of targeting the oil industry, Russian shadow fleet vessels have also been used by Russia for hybrid warfare and intelligence gathering, transporting Russian troops, and sailing under military convoys, though it is not clear whether any of the vessels hit during this campaign engaged in this activity. 

As a result of Ukraine’s naval campaign, Russia decided to halt shipping through the Don-Azov canal, an important maritime corridor for exporting oil, agricultural products, and other goods, but also an exit route for the Caspian flotilla of the Russian Navy.