Black Sea Blow: Ukraine Damages Sanctioned Russian Tanker in Major Strike

Ukraine’s Defense Forces struck a tanker from Russia’s shadow fleet in the Black Sea, along with two road bridges and multiple enemy command posts, according to Ukraine’s General Staff.

In a Telegram statement, the General Staff said the strikes were carried out on June 16 and into the early hours of June 17.

“A tanker of the shadow fleet, FINA A (IMO 9283306), was hit in the Black Sea,” the statement says.

The vessel is currently under sanctions imposed by the EU, Switzerland, the UK, Canada, and Ukraine. It has been used to transport Russian oil and petroleum products in circumvention of international sanctions – and measures 244.6 meters (804 feet) long with a gross tonnage of 62,002. The extent of the damage is still being assessed.

According to Militarniy, the tanker was located between Anapa and Novorossiysk in Russian Black Sea waters, based on VesselFinder data. In August 2025, FINA A transported nearly 100,000 tons of Russian oil from the Sheskharis terminal in Novorossiysk to Dakar, Senegal – a cargo shipped by sanctioned Russian oil giant Rosneft.

The EU sanctioned the tanker on May 20, 2025 over its role in transporting Russian crude oil and petroleum products, with measures taking effect the following day. Ukraine sanctioned the vessel on Dec. 13, 2025, and later sanctioned its captain, Vapor Junardito, on Feb. 21, 2026.

Kyiv has repeatedly targeted vessels linked to Russia’s shadow fleet, which Moscow uses to sustain oil exports despite Western restrictions. In late May, Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) carried out a large-scale overnight drone strike that damaged another shadow fleet tanker in the Black Sea, alongside other fuel infrastructure. USF Commander Robert Brovdi said Ukrainian long-range drones penetrated Russian air defense and electronic warfare systems to strike 23 military and strategic targets deep inside Russia and occupied territories.

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According to the latest General Staff, Ukrainian forces also struck infrastructure used by Russian troops for logistics and troop movement. Confirmed targets included two road bridges – one over the North Crimean Canal near Stavky, another near Voinka in Kherson region – as well as a command-and-observation post and control point in the Velyka Novosilka area of the Donetsk region.

Additional strikes targeted Russian drone control points near:

• Kamyanske and Novoprokopivka (Zaporizhzhia region)
• Ivano-Pillyia and Komar (Donetsk region)
• Oleshky (Kherson region)
• Maliivka (Dnipropetrovsk region)
• Korovyakovka and Kucherovo (Kursk region, Russia)