The governor of Russia’s Rostov region, Yury Slyusar, announced Sunday that a Ukrainian drone hit a tanker as the vessel was making its way into the Azov-Black Sea Canal.
Slyusar posted on the messaging app Telegram that firefighters brought the resulting blaze under control. He noted there was no danger of an oil spill since the tanker was carrying no cargo at the time, and confirmed that no one was injured in the attack.
The strike is part of a broader Ukrainian military effort that has targeted more than 40 Russian tankers in the Sea of Azov. Ukraine has described the campaign as a strategy to cut off fuel supplies reaching Russian forces and to isolate Moscow-occupied Crimea.
In recent weeks, Ukraine has stepped up its attacks on transportation and energy infrastructure throughout Crimea. Those strikes have contributed to fuel shortages on the peninsula and led authorities there to declare a state of emergency.
