Since July 6, Ukraine has been hammering Russian vessels in the Sea of Azov striking more than 110. The strikes, conducted by aerial drones, are part of Ukraine’s strategy of isolating the neighboring Crimean Peninsula.
The Sea of Azov is a strategic inland sea bordering Crimea to the west, mainland Ukraine to the north, and Russia to the east. Russia has been controlling the entirety of the sea since it illegally annexed Crimea in 2014 and captured the rest of Ukraine’s Azov coastal regions in 2022.
The Sea of Azov connects to the Black Sea via the 2.5-miles-narrow Strait of Kerch, and Russia’s navigable Don and Kuban rivers flow to it.
Russia uses the sea to resupply Crimea and transport oil to the Black Sea and then to the Mediterranean.
Reports put the number of Russian struck vessels to 116 as of July 14. The strikes seem to be primarily targeting oil tankers with ferries and cargo ships also being hit.
In several of the videos released by Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces (USF), the country’s branch responsible for unmanned systems, aerial kamikaze drones can be seen approaching Russian vessels and hitting their bridge or cargo area thus disabling them. Disabled vessels need to be towed back to port and await repairs.
Sandboxx News could not verify the accuracy of all released videos.
The strikes are part of Ukraine’s larger campaign to isolate Crimea and cut it off from fuel supplies.
Control of Crimea is seen symbolically important to Moscow. Earlier in the war, Ukraine undertook high-profile attacks against Kerch Bridge which connects the peninsula to Russia via the Kerch Strait and which Russian President Vladimir Putin was personally inaugurated in May 2018.
“Ukrainian forces are engaged in a systematic multipronged interdiction campaign aimed at isolating Crimea and denying Russia the ability to sustain logistics to the peninsula, striking bridges, major highways, and rail infrastructure from occupied Kherson Oblast to occupied Crimea,” the Institute for the Study of War, a think-tank, wrote in its daily assessment of the war.
“[Ukrainian forces are striking] Kerch Strait crossings and ferries moving between occupied Crimea and Krasnodar Krai; and fuel tankers and vessels in the Sea of Azov,” it added.
Drones have become a major element in the war in Ukraine with both belligerents using them extensively as they can complete a variety of missions reducing risk for troops.
Highlighting the unmanned systems’ importance, in 2024 Ukraine set up the USF branch to conduct drone warfare on land, at sea, and in the air. The USF is the world’s first branch dedicated exclusively to the use of drones.
Using aerial drones, Ukraine has also hit oil pipelines and trucks supplying Crimea and leading to a severe fuel shortage there last month that was unusually acknowledged by the Kremlin. According to unverified reports, some Russian units stationed in the peninsula are also already experiencing severe fuel shortages forcing them to limit their movements.
Feature Image: A Ukrainian drone strikes a Russian tanker in Sea of Azov. (Osinttechnical X via Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces)
Read more from Sandboxx News
- How American spies helped the U.K. retake the Falklands
- Why does America keep relying on its 60-year-old B-52 fleet
- The Navy may never build any Constellation-class frigates
- Pentagon is spending big on lasers to shoot down hostile drones and cruise missiles
- Firm behind Navy drones, which took out an Iranian sub, is part of Pentagon effort to reshape contracting