Ukraine Strikes Russian Oil Tankers in Mediterranean in Bid to Gain Leverage in Peace Talks

Operation Revealed After Striking Russia's Key Source of War Funding

As peace negotiations continue, Ukraine is directly targeting the so-called "shadow fleet," which serves as a key export channel for Russian oil and gas and a major source of war funding for Russia. Ukraine has even launched attacks on oil tankers in the Mediterranean Sea in an effort to gain leverage in peace talks with Russia. Some analysts suggest these attacks may be taking place with the tacit approval of U.S. President Donald Trump, who holds the key to the negotiations.

Ukrainian Army. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

According to major international news outlets on December 20 (local time), the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) officially confirmed the previous day that it had attacked four oil tankers belonging to Russia's shadow fleet using drones in recent weeks. One tanker was struck on the night of December 18 in the Mediterranean Sea, nearly 2,000 kilometers from Ukraine, while the other three were attacked earlier in the Black Sea by drones.

This marks the first time since the outbreak of the war that Ukraine has officially acknowledged attacks on Russian oil tankers.

The shadow fleet refers to vessels that circumvent Western sanctions to export Russian oil and gas, thereby providing Russia with crucial war funding.

Ukraine also revealed that it has attacked Russian oil production facilities in the Caspian Sea four times over the past ten days. Experts interpret this as both a signal to Russia of Ukraine's willingness to escalate the war and a warning to Europe that, unless sanctions against Russia are strengthened, even greater problems could arise along maritime transport routes.

The decision to expand the battlefield to the Mediterranean appears to be a calculated move with peace negotiations in mind. By boldly striking the shadow fleet and oil facilities that sustain the Russian economy and war effort, Ukraine aims to strengthen its negotiating position and gain the upper hand in peace talks led by President Trump.

Previously, during the administration of former U.S. President Joe Biden, Ukraine had been warned against attacking Russian oil facilities due to concerns about rising international oil prices and the potential for the war to escalate. However, Ukraine is now carrying out bold attacks on Russia's key sources of revenue and publicly announcing these actions.