More than 100 ships in the Sea of Azov have already been struck by Ukrainian drones. Whilst the USF military unit is celebrating its successes, the operation has also faced criticism.
The Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) have been an official part of the Ukrainian Armed Forces since 2024 and specialise in the deployment of drones. The USF’s current focus is on the Sea of Azov between Ukraine and Russia, a marginal sea of the Black Sea. Over the past nine days, the forces have attacked over 100 vessels – with eleven more targeted just today, bringing the total number of damaged vessels to 116. According to the USF, these include five tankers, five cargo ships and one tugboat.
This makes the drone force’s operation Ukraine’s most comprehensive measure to date to disrupt Russian maritime trade. The affected vessels have not yet been named, nor has there been any official statement from Russia regarding the damage.
Drones target grain exports
“Despite international sanctions, Russia continues to export oil via its shadow fleet and is using the proceeds to finance the war against Ukraine,” the USF stated on social media, where a video of the latest attacks was also published, showing several drone strikes on ships. The aim of the operation is to “systematically disrupt the enemy’s supply chain”, according to the USF.
For Russia, the attacks in the Sea of Azov are a severe economic blow. Up to a quarter of Russia’s grain exports are transported via the Sea of Azov, which has an average depth of just 14 metres, but recently no merchant vessel has been able to pass through the Kerch Strait, which separates the Russian mainland from the Crimean Peninsula. The Azov-Don Canal has also now been closed to shipping, according to an official Russian statement.
For Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Ukraine’s attacks constitute “terrorism”. Whilst pirates are at least still after loot, he accused the Ukrainian government of merely seeking to cause damage and instil fear. Ukraine, however, rejected this accusation: it told the Reuters news agency that its armed forces were attacking exclusively Russian military targets or facilities. “Civilian cargo is not among them,” it said. Russia is looking for a pretext to justify its own attacks on Ukraine.
Dominguez: “I condemn all attacks on merchant ships”
The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) is monitoring events in the Sea of Azov with concern. As in the Strait of Hormuz, maritime shipping is also being used as a means of exerting pressure between Russia and Ukraine to achieve military objectives – a danger against which the German Shipowners’ Association also warned only recently.
IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez pointed out that the conflict in the Persian Gulf must not overshadow the threats in other regions.
“I condemn last week’s series of attacks on civilian merchant ships operating in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea,” Dominguez said in a statement. “I condemn all unjustified attacks on civilian merchant vessels resulting from geopolitical conflicts – wherever they may take place. Such actions endanger seafarers, threaten the safety of shipping, disrupt global supply chains and undermine the principles on which international shipping is based.”
