Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces Strike 12 Russian Shadow Fleet Vessels

The Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) of Ukraine struck 12 vessels from Russia's shadow fleet in the Black and Azov seas between August 1 and 8. These attacks are part of Operation MoLoChKa, a joint campaign with the Security Service of Ukraine launched on July 6 to disrupt Russian fuel deliveries and maritime logistics. Since the operation began, the USF has targeted 218 vessels, including 134 in the Sea of Azov and 84 in the Black Sea.

Commander Robert Brovdi reported that navigation through the Kerch Strait has been indefinitely blocked since July 10. Recent maritime strikes included a vessel near Gelendzhik that bypassed Pantsir-S1 air defenses. Parallel to these efforts, the USF conducted the Crimean Switch Off campaign, hitting electrical facilities across occupied Donetsk, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia on August 6 and 7.

In a separate surge of activity, the USF struck 1,716 Russian targets in the 24-hour period ending August 8. These targets included 361 unmanned aerial vehicles, 60 launch sites, 74 vehicles, 12 artillery systems, and 13 electronic warfare systems. Between August 1 and August 7, the USF reported striking a total of 12,651 targets and 2,112 personnel.