Ukrainian drone strikes force Russia to suspend shipping in Sea of Azov

Smoke rises after what the Ukrainian authorities say was a drone strike on a Russian shadow fleet tanker in the Sea of Azov. Photograph: Commander of Unmanned Aerial Systems Force/Reuters View image in fullscreen Smoke rises after what the Ukrainian authorities say was a drone strike on a Russian shadow fleet tanker in the Sea of Azov. Photograph: Commander of Unmanned Aerial Systems Force/Reuters Ukrainian drone strikes force Russia to suspend shipping in Sea of Azov Vital maritime corridor closes after 90 vessels – including shadow fleet oil tankers – are attacked in under a week Russia has been forced to suspend shipping in the Sea of Azov after 90 vessels were targeted by Ukrainian drones in less than a week. Ukraine’s drone forces chief, Robert Brovdi, said on Sunday that his units had hit 10 tankers and four ferries overnight, as well as a major oil refinery in the city of Syzran. There were multiple strikes on electricity sub-stations in occupied Crimea, he added. “The technological humiliation of the [Russian] empire continues. It will fall because of Crimea,” Brovdi wrote on social media. He said Moscow’s shadow fleet, which transports sanctioned oil products around the world, was “noticeably shrinking” and could no longer use the Kerch strait, connecting the Sea of Azov with the Black Sea. The Sea of Azov is a vital waterway that connects Russia with eastern Europe . It is of crucial economic and military importance to Moscow, which uses it to ship oil, grain and other products such as steel to international markets. View image in fullscreen A major oil refinery in the Russian city of Syzran was hit by Ukrainian drones on Sunday. Photograph: Social Media/Reuters Russia suspended shipping through the Don-Azov canal on Friday, Reuters reported. The canal connects with a Russian river network and the Caspian Sea. This export route via Kerch and the Bosphorus strait in Turkey is effectively shut down. Ukraine’s former defence minister, Andriy Zagorodnyuk, said the Kremlin had lost control of a “critical” maritime corridor. He said the blockade affected military vessels and shipping transporting grain stolen from occupied southern Ukraine and moved through the ports of Berdyansk and Mariupol. “The Caspian Sea doesn’t have any connection to the world’s oceans. It has turned into a lake. All of its products – agricultural, fertiliser, whatever – go through this channel and river,” Zagorodnyuk said. Russia’s small flotilla in the Caspian was likewise trapped, he added, predicting further strikes on Russian ships in and around the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. Ukraine has been systematically destroying much of Russia's radar and anti-aircraft defences. This has enabled it to carry out a series of devastating long-range strikes on Russian oil refineries, including one last week in the Siberian city of Omsk, 2,700km (1,700 miles) from Ukrainian territory. View image in fullscreen Footage of what the Ukranian military says is a successful strike