For the first time, Ukraine has targeted a Russian ‘shadow fleet’ tanker using drones in the Mediterranean Sea, as announced by Kyiv today.

The tanker was traveling in an unspecified area approximately 1,243 miles away from Ukraine’s borders when it was hit during a ‘new, unprecedented special operation,’ according to a source within Ukraine’s Security Service.

The insider reported that the tanker, identified as the Qendil, suffered ‘critical damage, rendering it unusable for its intended function.’

This explosive assault on the unladen vessel marks a significant escalation in the nearly four-year-long conflict between Russia and Ukraine, being the first such incident in the Mediterranean region.

The Ukrainian news outlet RBC-Ukraine has released dramatic footage, allegedly capturing the moment the tanker was attacked with explosives.

Estimated to include up to 1,000 ships, which frequently change their flags and whose ownership is unclear, Russia’s shadow fleet has enabled Moscow to keep exporting its crude oil for much-needed revenue despite curbs on exports.

Experts and several European leaders also believe some vessels have been used by Russia to conduct hybrid warfare across the continent.

The attack will be interpreted as a great embarrassment for Russian President Vladimir Putin, as it was announced during his marathon end-of-year news conference in Moscow.

The cargo ship was sailing in an undisclosed location around 1,243 miles from Ukraine’s borders

The attack on the empty vessel, called the Qendil, was the first of its kind in the Mediterranean

It was hit in a ‘new, unprecedented special operation’

Putin vowed to retaliate following the humiliating attack.

‘It’s done with one purpose only, to raise insurance payments,’ he said.

‘Attacks on Russian civilian ships will not lead to the expected result.

‘And a response from Russia will inevitably follow.’

The source said the cargo ship was empty at the time of the attack and there no environmental threat resulting from the operation. 

The source however did not give further details of the attack, including how the SBU deployed a drone in the Mediterranean, from where it was launched, or which countries the drones could have flown over.

The source said the tanker was used to circumvent Western sanctions and fund Russia’s war chest, and claimed the attack was ‘an absolutely legitimate target’.

‘The enemy must understand that Ukraine will not stop and will strike them anywhere in the world, wherever they may be,’ the source added

Kyiv, which has been fending off Russia’s invasion for almost four years, has claimed similar hits on Russia-linked tankers off Turkey’s Black Sea coast, after two empty oil tankers were hit by explosions.

The SBU confirmed the hit in a statement: ‘The SBU for the first time hit a tanker of the Russian “shadow fleet” in the neutral waters of the Mediterranean Sea.’

According to VesselFinder, the Russian shadow fleet tanker was en route to Port Said, Egypt, but the precise location of the vessel when it was hit could not be immediately verified. 

Putin, Russia’s paramount leader since the last day of 1999, is today leading his televised an end-of-year news conference and call-in with the population.

At the ‘Results of the Year’ event, which the Russian leader has held in different formats most years since 2001, he fields dozens of questions on everything from price rises and his own future to nuclear weapons and what the Kremlin calls the ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine.

Attendees had to undergo a COVID test – still routine for meetings involving Putin, 73, several years after the end of the pandemic.

Putin has repeatedly said in recent weeks that Moscow will seize the rest of Ukrainian land he has proclaimed as Russian by force if talks were to fail.

He also said he did not feel personally responsible for the tens of thousands of people killed since Moscow launched its 2022 offensive, which has become Europe’s worst conflict since World War II.

‘We did not start this war,’ he said, repeating a frequent narrative pushed by Moscow throughout the conflict.

‘We do not consider ourselves responsible for the loss of life,’ he added.

He also denied dragging out settlement talks and turning down proposals – claiming Moscow had agreed to ‘some compromises’ – without going into detail.

‘The ball is now fully and completely on the side of our Western opponents… first of all the head of the Kyiv regime and their European sponsors,’ Putin said.

He also warned of ‘severe’ consequences if EU powers followed through on proposals to use Russian assets frozen in Europe to fund Ukraine’s recovery and defence, after Brussels failed to approve a plan to tap the funds during late-night talks.

The source said the tanker was used to circumvent Western sanctions and fund Russia’s war chest

According to VesselFinder, the Russian shadow fleet tanker was en route to Port Said, Egypt, but this could not be immediately verified

Russian President Vladimir Putin pictured at his annual end-of-year press conference and phone-in in Moscow, Russia December 19, 2025

Putin denied dragging out settlement talks and turning down proposals – claiming Moscow had agreed to ‘some compromises’ – without going into detail

The Ukrainian attack comes after three Russian FSB border guards allegedly crossed the control line between Russian and Estonian territory on a breakwater in the Narva River, near the village of Vasknarva.

The soldiers, seen in grainy footage moving through mist, arrived on a security service hovercraft and proceeded on foot along the river barrier.

They then returned to their aircraft and crossed back to Russian territory. 

Estonian Interior Minister Igor Taro condemned the incident.

‘The illegal border crossing has been documented, and we have it on video from the surveillance camera that detected the crossing,’ he said.

‘There was no immediate security threat, but the [Estonian] police and border guards have significantly increased their presence and patrols.’

Checks were carried out to ensure that Russians had not planted anything suspicious in Estonia.

‘Naturally, our units went to investigate, but the illegal border crossers were no longer there,’ Taro said.

‘They had left Estonian territory and returned to their own. Traces were found, and the area was checked to ensure nothing was left behind.’

He added that low-grade FSB officers may have been to blame for the intrusion on Wednesday morning.

‘What we have observed in recent years is that the quality of border guard personnel on the Russian side varies greatly.

‘Obviously, the aggression against Ukraine affects their structures, as they have likely redirected a number of more competent people elsewhere, probably to the front lines or that region.’

It may be that the guards drafted in ‘have no understanding of where they are, what they are doing here, or the nuances of the terrain’.

This is a breaking news story with more to come.