Shadow fleet tanker under fire

According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the vessel FINA A was struck around June 16^th and 17^th. The vessel is subject to sanctions imposed by the European Union, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Ukraine. As part of the shadow fleet, the tanker was responsible for transporting Russian petroleum products, circumventing sanctions imposed by other states.

The strike was successful and the extent of the damage is still being assessed. The vessel is 244.6 metres long and has a gross tonnage of 62,002. The Ukrainian army has also delivered strikes to facilities used to support military logistics and the movement of personnel and equipment between the occupied territories in southern Ukraine. A road bridge across the North Crimean Canal near the settlement of Stavky and a road bridge near Voinka in Kherson Oblast were both successfully hit.

The so-called shadow fleet is a growing issue, allowing Russia to somewhat circumvent the imposed sanctions, generating funds for Moscow to continue the war effort. Oil tankers belonging to the fleet are regularly intercepted by European and American forces. Directly striking those vessels is a rarer occurrence. However, Ukrainian long-range capabilities keep developing, allowing them to perform more and more such strikes.