Ukrainian drone attacks have compelled Russia to cease all shipping in the Sea of Azov in less than a week, demonstrating how a nation without a conventional navy can still enforce a maritime blockade.
Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces deployed one‑way attack drones that struck more than 100 Russian tankers and other vessels each night from July 6 to July 13, releasing video proof of the hits. The campaign forced the closure of the Don River corridor into the Sea of Azov and halted every Kerch Strait transit from the Azov to the Black Sea, according to Reuters.
The shutdown further isolates the Russian‑occupied Crimean Peninsula by cutting off seaborne fuel deliveries. Crimea was already grappling with severe fuel rationing and power outages after Ukraine’s broader drone strikes damaged oil refineries and burned trucks on key supply routes.
