Ukraine Strikes Russian 'Shadow Fleet' Tanker in Mediterranean with Aerial Drones

• Ukraine used aerial drones to strike the Russian 'shadow fleet' oil tanker Qendil in the Mediterranean Sea, a first for such an attack.
• The Qendil, part of Russia's unregulated 'shadow fleet' helping fund the war, was empty and sustained critical damage over 2,000 km from Ukraine.
• The attack off Libya's coast signifies a major expansion of Ukraine's campaign against Russian oil infrastructure, previously targeting refineries and Black Sea tankers.
• The SBU security service conducted the 'multi-stage' operation, reflecting Kyiv's increasingly sophisticated long-range attacks.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously threatened to sever Ukraine's Black Sea access in response to attacks on tankers.

Why It Matters: Ukraine expands its oil infrastructure attacks, hitting a Russian 'shadow fleet' tanker in the Mediterranean.