Kathrine Frich
The latest wave of drone strikes affected 11 different districts.
When a nation is locked in a grinding conflict, supply lines are just as important as frontline troops.
Moving fuel and goods quietly becomes a daily struggle.
Now, one side has decided to take that hidden network apart piece by piece.
Hitting the shadow fleet
Late on July 8, Ukrainian drone units launched a massive strike in the Sea of Azov. They aimed at ships moving goods under the radar.
According to U24 Media, the bold overnight operation damaged nine tankers belonging to the Russian shadow fleet.
That brings the total number of ships hit to 19 over just three days. A cargo vessel and a ferry were also struck.
Drones in the dark
The Birds of Madyar, a specialized drone unit, handled the attacks. They teamed up with other branches of the Ukrainian military to make it happen.
Robert Brovdi commands these drone operations, and he quickly confirmed the successful hits. He added that his teams hit 53 separate military targets across occupied Crimea and southern Ukraine on the same night.
“As part of the ‘Crimean Switch Off’ campaign, Ukrainian forces targeted six additional electrical substations overnight, bringing the total number of energy facilities struck between July 1 and July 8 to 50, along with other sensitive targets. A detailed report will follow,” Brovdi said, according to United24 Media.
Trouble in the bay
Russian officials confirmed part of the overnight chaos. Rostov region Governor Yury Slyusar reported that drones damaged two tankers in the waters of Taganrog Bay.
The governor stated that both ships were traveling empty. Because they carried no fuel, no oil spilled into the water.
Two people suffered injuries during the strike, Slyusar added.
Emergency teams treated one person at the scene and took the other to a local hospital, though both eventually declined to stay for overnight observation.
A wider pressure campaign
The latest wave of drone strikes affected 11 different districts in the Rostov region, United24 Media reported. Two local cities were also caught up in the action.
This naval operation fits into a much larger puzzle. For over a month, Ukraine has been running a highly targeted campaign to break down Russian military logistics.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy authorized the 40-day effort. It targets energy sites and defense hubs, aiming to slow down the flow of resources to the frontlines.
Sources: United24 Media
