Ukraine has defended its strikes on Russia’s shadow fleet, arguing that tankers transporting Russian oil and gas are directly supporting Moscow’s war effort and may therefore constitute legitimate military targets.According to the Financial Times, Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba outlined Kyiv’s position in a letter sent to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) on Friday, following Russian accusations that Ukraine was carrying out “terrorist” attacks against commercial shipping.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.“Legitimate questions arise as to whether the activities of such vessels can be regarded solely as ordinary commercial operations,” Kuleba wrote.Kuleba argued that Russia’s shadow fleet plays a critical role in generating the revenues that fund the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion.According to the letter, Russian oil and gas tankers are “critical to the generation of budget revenues for the Russian Federation and the continuation of its war effort.”Ukraine is estimated to have struck around a dozen sanctioned shadow fleet vessels, with Russia accusing Kyiv of attacking the Russian-flagged tanker Arctic Metagaz in the Mediterranean in March, calling it an act of terrorism.Ukraine rejected the characterization, arguing that Russia itself has repeatedly targeted civilian shipping, including grain ships in the Black Sea port near Odesa, since launching its full-scale invasion.