Ukraine claims that attacks on Russian vessels have exacerbated the Crimean fuel shortage

On 7 July, Ukraine indicated that it had attacked eight Russian mini-fuel tankers at night in the Azov Sea and that the Kiev side was trying to cut off the supply of petrol to Crimea. On Tuesday, the Commander of the Ukrainian Unmanned System Force, Robert Brovdi, stated: “The battle for fuel to Crimea by sea continues.” As the Russian-Uu conflict entered its fifth year, the Kiev side stepped up its attack on the Russian refinery to disrupt fuel supplies throughout its territory. This is boosting the morale of Ukraine as billions of euros of EU funds begin to flow. Brovdi stated that the mini-fuel tankers were subject to international sanctions and were part of the Russian Shadow Fleet, each of which had 7,000 tons of heavy tonnage, built between 2006 and 2012。