VIDEO Ukraine hit another oil tanker from Russia's “ghost fleet”. The ship suffered “critical damage”

Ukrainian naval drones hit an oil tanker that is part of Russia's “ghost fleet” on Wednesday, as the vessel was sailing in the exclusive economic zone of Ukraine in the Black Sea, on its way to the port of Novorossiisk, a Ukrainian official announced, informs Reuters, taken by Agerpres.

The Dashan tanker was sailing at full speed with its transponders off and was critically damaged during the attack, which saw powerful explosions at its stern, a Ukrainian Security Service representative said.

Footage of Ukrainian sea drones repeatedly striking the Russian dark fleet oil tanker Dashan in the Black Sea earlier today.

The tanker was headed to pick up oil from the port of Novorossiysk. pic.twitter.com/T8ervOdOQM

— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) December 10, 2025

Russia's 'ghost fleet' consists of oil tankers and cargo ships that Moscow uses to circumvent the economic sanctions imposed by the West in the context of the war in Ukraine.

More and more frequent attacks

On November 29, Ukraine struck two oil tankers used by Russia to export crude oil, bypassing Western sanctions, with naval drones in the Black Sea, an official of the SBU security service said on Saturday, reports Reuters.

The joint operation to strike the so-called “ghost fleet” ships was led by the SBU and the Ukrainian navy, the official said on condition of anonymity.

Turkish authorities said two explosions rocked two Phantom Fleet tankers near Turkey's Bosphorus Strait on Friday, sparking fires on the ships and launching rescue operations for those on board.

The SBU official said both ships – identified as the Kairos and Virat – were empty and headed for the port of Novorossiisk, a major Russian oil terminal, when they were hit by “Sea Baby” drones.

A third oil tanker, the Mersin, under the Panamanian flag but operated by a Turkish company and also used to export Russian oil, was damaged in the Atlantic near the African state of Senegal, following four external explosions whose cause is still unclear.

Also, a Russian cargo ship was attacked on December 2 in the Black Sea near the Turkish coast, Turkey's General Directorate of Maritime Affairs announced on its official X account.

“The tanker MIDVOLGA-2 reported that it was attacked 80 miles off our coast while sailing from Russia to Georgia with a cargo of sunflower oil,” he said.

According to the specialized website Marine Traffic, the Midvolga 2 is a 140-meter-wide tanker, built in 2014, sailing under the Russian flag.