Oil Spills in the Sea of Azov and Ukraine's Drone Campaign: The Full Story

Broader Scope of Pollution

Greenpeace and SkyTruth previously documented 226 oil and fuel spills across the Black Sea in four years, including over 170 slicks attributed to illegal bilge dumping off Bulgaria . The December 2024 Kerch Strait tanker disaster alone spilled an estimated 2,400–5,000 tonnes of heavy fuel oil (mazut) into the Black Sea and Sea of Azov . That incident, involving two Russian tankers—Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239—continued to leak months later, with Russian authorities failing to stop the flow .

Connection to Military Operations

Satellite imagery from July 11, 2026, recorded an oil slick spreading nearly 3 kilometers from the seaport of Taganrog — pollution attributed to the aftermath of Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian vessels in the port . This directly links the pollution spikes to damage inflicted during Operation MoLoChKa.

Operation MoLoChKa: Ukraine's Maritime Drone Campaign

Launch and Scope

On July 6, 2026, Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) launched Operation MoLoChKa (Ukrainian for "dairy"), a sustained drone campaign targeting Russia's "shadow fleet" in the Sea of Azov . The operation initially focused on the Sea of Azov and then extended into the Black Sea on July 15 . USF Commander Robert "Madyar" Brovdi announced the new phase, calling it a move to "paralyze the feeder fleet of Russian courier tankers" .

Number and Types of Vessels Struck

Vessel counts vary by date and source, but the trajectory is consistent across multiple credible outlets (Reuters, NYT, BBC, CNBC, ISW). All figures come from Ukrainian military statements, which cannot be independently verified; Russian authorities rarely confirm damage to shadow fleet vessels.

The primary targets were small feeder tankers used to transport Russian fuel oil and diesel to Crimea and to larger export tankers . On July 15 alone, Ukrainian drones struck 17 oil tankers, 2 gas tankers, and 1 tugboat in the Black Sea . The campaign later expanded to include larger ocean-going tankers and bulk carriers . On July 18, USF reported striking eight cargo ships, one oil tanker, one LNG tanker, one tugboat, and two floating cranes .

Disruption to Shipping Routes and Fuel Exports

The campaign paralyzed the "courier tanker" fleet that shuttles Russian oil to export hubs and fuel to occupied Crimea . Russia suspended civilian shipping through the Don–Azov Shipping Canal and the Kerch Strait following concentrated attacks on oil tankers in the Sea of Azov . Ukraine's broader "middle strike campaign"—combining MoLoChKa with strikes on land logistics—forced Russia to rely increasingly on vulnerable maritime routes, which were then systematically taken out .

Fuel Shortage in Crimea

The results were dramatic:

• By July 9, Ukraine had hit over a dozen tankers in a single night, disrupting fuel supplies to Russian forces in Crimea .
• By July 11, petrol stations in Sevastopol ran out of fuel as residents formed queues .
• On July 14, Ukrainian officials reported that gasoline deliveries to Crimea had been halted, triggering a severe fuel shortage .
• By July 18, Al Jazeera reported that Ukraine's campaign had "effectively cut off" Crimea from Russia, causing power outages and gasoline shortages across the peninsula .
• The BBC had already reported on June 23 that there was "no fuel for sale" in occupied Crimea as Ukraine's blockade took effect .

By July 2026, the broader Russian fuel crisis—driven by months of strikes on refineries and logistics—meant that most of Russia's regions were experiencing fuel restrictions, directly affecting an estimated 50 million people, approximately 35% of the Russian population .

Environmental Damage Connection

The strikes directly caused oil spills: satellite imagery showed slicks spreading from damaged or burning tankers near Taganrog and elsewhere in the Sea of Azov . Greenpeace documented that the cumulative oil pollution from the December 2024 Kerch Strait disaster, ongoing leaks from Volgoneft-239, and new spills from drone-damaged vessels during MoLoChKa had created a 100 km² oil pollution zone in the Sea of Azov .

Key Caveats

• Vessel count discrepancies. All vessel totals come from Ukrainian military statements, which cannot be independently verified. Russian authorities rarely confirm damage to shadow fleet vessels. The trend is consistent across multiple credible outlets (Reuters, NYT, BBC, CNBC, ISW), but precise totals are Ukrainian claims.
• Environmental attribution. Some oil slicks predate MoLoChKa (ongoing leaks from the 2024 Kerch Strait wreck). Greenpeace's July 16 analysis shows the 100 km² figure is a composite of new attack-related spills and residual pollution.
• Fuel shortage timeline. The Crimea fuel crisis was building for months prior to MoLoChKa, driven by earlier strikes on Russian refineries and land supply routes . MoLoChKa was the "final blow" that severed maritime supply, not the sole cause.