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Ukrainian massive attacks on Russian ships: 172 vessels struck in Black and Azov Seas in 12 days

Duration: 4:53 689 transcript words EN summary

Video summary

Ukraine has significantly escalated its maritime operations by launching precise drone strikes against merchant vessels linked to Russia in the Black and Azov Seas, marking a major turning point in the conflict. This campaign, known internally as "Molochga," resulted in an unprecedented 172 Russian-linked ships being struck within just 12 days, a stark increase from previous occasional attacks on shadow vessels or oil facilities elsewhere. The intensity of these assaults forced Russia to redeploy hundreds of drone teams specifically for fleet protection and begin equipping tankers with counter-drone technology, effectively turning the defense of commercial shipping into a critical priority amidst a rapidly evolving geopolitical crisis. The conflict has now expanded beyond targeting only Russian assets to create a dangerous environment where civilian vessels face accidental or intentional risks from both sides. While Ukrainian strikes are highly precise, the mere existence of this drone battle means that neutral ships operating in the region could become targets due to operational errors or retaliatory measures by Russia, which has already demonstrated its willingness to attack merchant shipping regardless of casualties, such as a missile strike near Odessa that killed ten sailors. As Moscow catches up with Ukraine in drone production and capabilities, it is increasingly capable of targeting civilian vessels, a reality evidenced by recent Russian drone attacks on cargo ships belonging to Germany and Lebanon earlier this month. In response to these threats, ship owners are beginning to install anti-drone technologies on their vessels, but experts warn that this only shifts the financial burden to consumers while potentially sparking a maritime arms race. If nations like Russia continue to view civilian shipping as legitimate targets, they will likely develop methods to circumvent defensive systems, leading to a cycle of escalating technological countermeasures. This situation poses a severe challenge to the global consensus established in 1982 under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which designates most merchant vessels as non-legitimate targets; without adherence to this framework, the oceans risk descending into chaos and anarchy where safe global shipping becomes impossible. A recent development adds another layer of complexity to this volatile situation, as there have been no Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian oil tankers in August despite ongoing hostilities. This pause is not due to a cessation of the drone war but rather a directive from the US administration urging Ukraine to suspend these specific strikes to stabilize the broader situation. Although discussions between Washington and Kyiv regarding this suspension reportedly did not explicitly reference the UN Convention, likely because the United States is not a party to the treaty, the underlying message remains clear: without strict adherence to international maritime law, the safety of global commerce is at grave risk. The conclusion drawn by analysts is that maintaining the rule of law in the seas is essential to prevent a descent into anarchy where even neutral shipping lanes become battlegrounds.

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Ukraine is gaining momentum in the maritime sphere, launching drone strikes against merchant vessels linked to Russia. Thanks to technological advances that give drones exceptional precision over long distances, the Ukrainian attacks marked a turning point, causing significant damage to Russia, which it is now trying to avoid by strengthening the protection of its merchant vessels, Politico reports. However, these new attacks also usher in a geopolitical crisis in which merchant ships in general face the risk of drone attacks. This, in turn, could spark a maritime arms race. In early July, a dramatic chain of events began. Ukrainian drones began striking merchant vessels linked to Russia in the Black and Azov Seas almost daily. Previously, they had occasionally struck shadow vessels in the Mediterranean or Russian oil facilities and terminals, but this campaign was different. Several vessels were hit daily, the article recalled. This culminated in a staggering 172 vessels struck in the Black and Azov Seas in just 12 days. Meanwhile, Ukraine reported attacks on 15 Russian shadow vessels, namely seven tankers and five bulk carriers, in just one night. Politico notes that the Ukrainian Armed Forces campaign against Russian-linked vessels, dubbed Molochga, a Ukrainian acronym that stands for Moscow will fall because of Crimea, was a rude awakening for Russia, which was forced to redeploy drone units from other missions to protect its merchant fleet. According to Robert Brovdy, commander of Ukraine's unmanned systems forces, Moscow has deployed up to 200 drone teams to perform vessel protection missions. It has also begun equipping oil tankers with counter-drone technology. However, some vessels unrelated to either Russia or Ukraine are also caught in the middle of this drone battle. Of course, Ukrainian drone attacks are extremely precise, meaning the risk of a drone intended to hit one vessel accidentally hitting another is minimal. Nevertheless, tankers and other vessels are now operating in a world where they could accidentally become drone targets, not only because of a possible Ukrainian mistake, but also because of the risk that Russia might decide to use drones against merchant shipping to harm Ukraine and its western allies, Politico warns. Moscow has already demonstrated that it has no compunctions about attacks on merchant ships, even if they result in loss of life. In July, our Russian missile strike on a cargo ship near the port of Odessa killed 10 sailors. Furthermore, Russia is catching up with Ukraine in drone technology and production. While it hasn't yet reached Ukraine's level, it is now capable of attacking a wide range of targets, which will undoubtedly include civilian vessels. In fact, this is already happening. Earlier this month, Russian drones struck two cargo ships in the Black Sea. One belonged to Germany, the other to Lebanon, the article noted. It is therefore not surprising that some ship owners are already installing anti-drone technologies on their vessels. But this isn't the end of the story. If civilian vessels become common targets during wars and near wars, their owners will be forced to invest in defensive technologies, and these costs will ultimately fall on consumers. In the next stage, if countries like Russia want to continue attacking civilian vessels, they will employ technologies that circumvent such defenses, the publication predicts. Therefore, it is crucial for countries committed to the rule of law to constantly remind themselves that most merchant vessels are never legitimate targets. This global consensus was reached in 1982, when almost all but a few countries ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Therefore, if this convention were to lapse, the oceans would once again descend into chaos and even anarchy. Oh, and another twist. So far in August, there haven't been any Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian-linked oil tankers. That's not because the drone war has stopped, unfortunately. It's because the US administration asked Ukraine to suspend the attacks, not out of concern for maritime order, but because it's trying to stabilize the situation. UNCLOS apparently wasn't mentioned during US-Kyiv talks, perhaps because America isn't a party to the treaty. But without UNCLOS, there can be no safe global shipping, Politico concluded.