The vessel – the Qendil – was empty at the time of the drone strike in neutral waters over 2,000 km (1,250 miles) away from Ukraine, and it sustained significant damage, according to an official from the SBU security service in a written statement.
MarineTraffic data indicated the tanker was located off Libya’s coast at 1330 GMT. The Ukrainian official, who chose to remain anonymous, did not specify the exact location of the tanker during the attack or the timing.
Aerial footage from the source displayed a minor explosion on the deck of the tanker. Reuters confirmed that the vessel featured in the video was the Qendil by matching it with archived images, but could not authenticate the time or location.
Throughout 2024 and 2025, Ukraine has been targeting Russian oil refineries, but its campaign has expanded visibly in recent weeks, hitting oil rigs in the Caspian Sea and taking responsibility for sea-drone attacks on three tankers in the Black Sea.
These tankers, along with the Oman-flagged Qendil, are part of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet”—unregulated vessels that Kyiv claims are aiding Moscow in exporting large amounts of oil, thereby funding its war in Ukraine despite Western sanctions.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who initiated a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, has threatened to cut Ukraine’s access to the Black Sea in retaliation for the tanker attacks, which he has labeled as piracy.
No new statements have emerged from Moscow regarding this latest attack.
MarineTraffic data revealed that the Qendil was headed to the Russian port of Ust Luga in the Baltic Sea from the Indian port of Sikka.
India is a significant consumer of Russian oil, although it has been pressured by U.S. President Donald Trump to limit its purchases to diminish the oil revenue that Ukraine claims is fueling Russia’s extensive war effort.
“We understand it is returning to a port that is currently undetermined,” an official from a European Union country informed Reuters.
MULTI-STAGE MEASURES
The strike on the Qendil is significant not only for its distance in the Mediterranean but also for the usage of aerial drones.
“This development signifies a sharp expansion of Ukraine’s deployment of uncrewed aerial systems against maritime targets tied to Russia’s sanctioned oil export network,” noted British maritime risk-management group Vanguard.
The Ukrainian official did not disclose how the drones were dispatched to the ship, but mentioned that the operation entailed “multi-stage” measures.
The SBU, the extensive security agency behind the operation, has executed highly sophisticated missions against Russia, smuggling in numerous drones for an initiative to destroy strategic bombers at air bases far from the frontlines in June.
A series of unexplained explosions have also occurred on tankers that have docked at Russian ports since December 2024.
While Ukraine has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement in these incidents, maritime security sources suspect Kyiv may be responsible, with some involving limpet mines on vessels in the Mediterranean.
This week, two crew members aboard the Russian-flagged tanker Valeriy Gorchakov were killed in a Ukrainian drone attack on the southern Russian port of Rostov-on-Don.
