Ukraine Ramps Up Attacks on Russian 'Shadow Fleet' as NATO Leaders Meet in Ankara

Ukraine has intensified its campaign against Russia’s shadow fleet by targeting tankers in the Sea of Azov, striking a total of twelve vessels recently. The timing coincides with a NATO summit in Turkey, where defense spending and military support for Ukraine are key topics.

Ukraine has hit a dozen tankers belonging to Russia’s so called shadow fleet over the past two days, part of a growing campaign to cut off fuel supplies to occupied Crimea. The escalation comes just as NATO leaders convene in Turkey for a summit centered on defense spending and support for Ukraine.

Reuters reported that eight of those vessels, each carrying a deadweight of around 7,000 metric tons, were struck in the Sea of Azov. Two additional tankers were hit later the same day, according to Ukraine’s drone forces.

That wasn’t the start of the campaign either. These latest strikes followed attacks on two other shadow fleet vessels in the same waters just a day before. The Sea of Azov plays a major role in supplying Russian forces stationed in Crimea and other parts of southern Ukraine currently under occupation.

Crimea has been under Russian control since 2014, eight years before Moscow launched its full scale invasion of the rest of Ukraine. Beyond the tanker strikes, this week’s attacks also hit electrical substations, radar systems, and missile installations. Russia has not issued any public response to the latest wave of strikes.

Several member countries have already announced new arms deals worth tens of billions of dollars, a move seen as an effort to respond to President Trump’s repeated calls for NATO allies to increase their defense budgets. President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are expected to hold a meeting during the summit on Wednesday.

With fighting intensifying on the ground and major decisions being weighed in Ankara, the coming days could prove pivotal both for Ukraine’s military strategy and for the broader alliance’s approach to supporting Kyiv.