‘Operation MoLoChKa’: Ukrainian drones cripple 300 Russian shadow tankers in less than three months

For eleven weeks, a specialized Ukrainian military unit has been tracking down merchant ships linked to Russia and the so-called Shadow Fleet.

These commercial tankers keep valuable oil moving despite heavy international sanctions, but a steady stream of precision strikes has brought hundreds of them to a dead stop.

In an update on the SBS Operation “MoLoChKa”, the commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, Robert “Magyar” Brovdi, announced that during the eleven weeks of the campaign so far, 300 vessels have been hit and disabled, making them unable to self-propel.

“300 shadow fleet vessels have been hunted and taken out of self-propelled condition in the Azov (134 boats) and Black (166) seas by SBS Birds,” Brovdi said in an update on Facebook.

MoLoChKa is an abbreviation for “Moscow will fall through Crimea.”

Striking the fleet

According to Ukrinform, the operation, which began in July, has systematically cleared major stretches of water. Action centres on two vital maritime hubs that host heavy cargo traffic every day.

Ukrainian military commanders launched the effort to disrupt key maritime supply routes across eastern Europe to bleed Russia’s economic engine dry.

Ukrinform reported that the tally of crippled ships has risen steadily since the operation launched on July 6. In late July, defenders listed under two hundred successful strikes. By early September, that number jumped past two hundred and eighty.

Aging, poorly maintained tankers make up most of this shadow fleet. Moving petroleum under foreign flags allows owners to bypass strict trade rules. But taking away their ability to sail under their own power forces costly delays.

Mounting economic damage

The financial strain is mounting fast. Repairing damaged hulls or towing dead ships out of narrow straits costs millions.

Three hundred ships are now out of action. As a result, supply networks are struggling to adapt while drone crews maintain a relentless daily patrol.

This article is made and published by Jens Asbjørn Bogen, who may have used AI in the preparation