The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump effectively allowed Ukraine to carry out attacks on the shadow fleet of the Russian Federation, which transports oil to circumvent sanctions. According to American and Ukrainian officials, the White House did not express objections to strikes on Russian oil logistics in international waters and, in some cases, approved the transfer of intelligence data to Kyiv. This information was used for strikes on Russian oil infrastructure facilities. In the U.S., such actions are viewed as a means of pressure on the Kremlin, although it is acknowledged that this strategy could impact the stability of the global energy market.
This is reported by Finway
Series of Attacks on Vessels and Oil Infrastructure Facilities of Russia
On November 28, tankers Kairos and Virat, which were subject to Western sanctions for transporting Russian oil above the established price ceiling, were attacked near the Bosporus Strait. On December 10, the SBU’s maritime drones, Sea Baby, struck the shadow fleet tanker Dashan in the Black Sea. Subsequently, on December 12, Ukrainian special forces launched an attack on two Russian vessels in the Caspian Sea — “Composer Rachmaninoff” and “Askar-Saridja.” Both are under U.S. sanctions and were transporting weapons and military equipment.
Strikes on Oil Refineries and Platforms
Throughout the week, SBU drones attacked Lukoil’s oil extraction platforms in the Caspian Sea twice, leading to a halt in production processes. Additionally, Ukrainian forces continue to strike oil refineries and oil depots on Russian territory. In particular, on Friday, the facilities of the Slavneft-YANOS refinery in the Yaroslavl region were hit, on Saturday — a plant in Saratov that had recently resumed operations, and on Sunday, December 14, the facilities of the Afipsky refinery in the Krasnodar region and the “Uryupinskaya” oil depot in the Volgograd region were targeted.
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump effectively gave Ukraine the green light for strikes on the Russian shadow fleet, American and Ukrainian officials reported.