Russia is using its illicit “shadow fleet” of oil tankers for intelligence gathering and sabotage operations including launching drones, according to Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “Currently, Russians are using tankers not only to earn money for the war, but also for reconnaissance and even sabotage activities. It is entirely possible to stop this,” said Ukraine’s president after a briefing from his foreign intelligence chief, Oleh Ivashchenko, describing “sabotage and destabilising operations in Europe”.
Zelenskyy said: “Recent cases of drones being launched from tankers are one such example. We are sharing this information with partners and it is important that their response to Russia be real.” Danish police have not ruled out the possibility that one such ship, the Boracay, was involved in drone sightings above airports and military installations in Denmark in late September. The ship was later boarded and halted by French troops. Its captain is scheduled to go on trial in France in February accused of failing to cooperate with authorities.
Ukrainian drones have attacked an oil refinery at Tyumen in Siberia, more than 2,000km (1,200 miles) behind the frontline, marking potentially Kyiv’s deepest ever strike into Russian territory. At least two UAVs damaged its distillation column and water supply system, said the independent Russian news outlet Astra. The regional government sought to play down the attack, saying “three UAVs were detected and neutralised on the territory of an enterprise in the Antipino district of Tyumen”.
