Overview
- Ukraine’s Security Service said long‑range drones struck the Oman‑flagged Qendil in international waters roughly 2,000 kilometers from Ukraine, claiming “critical damage” to the empty vessel.
- Ukrainian sources released footage showing blasts on the deck, though several outlets said they could not independently verify the video; ship‑tracking placed Qendil near Libya and Crete and bound for Ust‑Luga.
- Officials described a multi‑stage operation and argued the tanker is part of Russia’s sanction‑busting shadow fleet, calling it a legitimate military target under international law.
- Vladimir Putin acknowledged an attack on a tanker and vowed a response, as Russian strikes continued to hit energy and port infrastructure in Odesa region.
- Odesa’s main port has been running on generators with reduced grain rail deliveries after recent Russian attacks, and analysts say the Qendil strike widens Ukraine’s deep‑strike campaign into the Mediterranean.