# Ukraine expands Operation MoLoChKa to the Black Sea, striking 20 Russian vessels including 17 oil tankers > Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces extended their shadow-fleet drone campaign from the Sea of Azov into the Black Sea on July 15, hitting 20 Russian vessels including 17 oil tankers, according to Kyiv Independent; commander Robert 'Madyar' Brovdi declared 'the first round of the maritime battle is over' and announced the next phase, after 105 Russian ships were struck in the Azov over nine days in Operation MoLoChKa **Meta:** type: event · date: 2026-07-15 · heads: 戦争はどう終わるのか, 静かな変化 · 10 takes · 8 lenses · 4 regions ## Summary Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces extended Operation [MoLoChKa](/ja/n/ukraine-shadow-fleet-azov-jul9) into the [Black Sea](/ja/entity/black-sea) on July 15, striking 20 Russian vessels, 17 of them oil tankers, according to the [[kyivindependent.com|Kyiv Independent]]. Commander Robert "Madyar" Brovdi, who leads the Unmanned Systems Forces, framed the Azov phase as finished: "the first round of the maritime battle is over. Now it's the Black Sea," he said. The Azov campaign had already struck 105 vessels in nine days, according to the Sunday Guardian, suspending traffic through the Kerch Strait and creating fuel shortages in Russian-occupied [Crimea](/ja/entity/crimea). Liga.net put the combined 10-day tally at 136 vessels. Russia's Foreign Minister Lavrov called the strikes piracy; Brovdi publicly mocked the comparison. ## The split Ukrainian outlets (Kyiv Independent, Kyiv Post, Liga.net, KNEWS) focus on Brovdi's announcement and the cumulative strike count, framing the operation as a deliberate, sequenced campaign with distinct phases. India's Sunday Guardian adds a Baltic dimension, reporting Lithuania's warning of Russian preparations for targeted infrastructure attacks, an angle absent from Ukrainian coverage. Newsweek examines what the Black Sea expansion means for Russia's Crimea supply lines. No Russian-state perspective is in the current feed; Russia denies shadow fleet losses as a matter of policy. ## By the numbers - 20, Russian vessels struck in the Black Sea on July 15, including 17 oil tankers, per Kyiv Independent - 105, Russian shadow fleet ships struck in the Sea of Azov over nine days, per the Sunday Guardian - 136, total vessels struck over 10 days (Azov and Black Sea combined), per Liga.net - 9 days, the duration of the Azov phase before the Black Sea expansion ## Why it matters The Black Sea expansion moves Ukraine's maritime campaign into a larger theater, threatening Russia's ability to move oil by sea not only through the Kerch Strait but across the broader [Black Sea](/ja/entity/black-sea) corridor. Striking oil tankers puts direct pressure on Russia's shadow fleet, the network of vessels that moves Russian crude under Western sanctions. ## What to watch - Whether Russia can reroute shadow fleet tankers or loses access to Black Sea export routes - Fuel and supply conditions in Russian-occupied Crimea, already reporting shortages - Whether Ukraine extends drone operations toward Russian Black Sea ports such as Novorossiysk - Russia's response: counter-strikes, diplomatic claims, or escalation in other theaters ## Regional takes (batched by bias / lens) ### Ukrainian independent outlet; first to carry Madyar's declaration that the Black Sea phase had begun, quoting his "first round is over" statement directly - **Kyiv Independent** (Ukraine, en) — Kyiv Independent reported that Robert 'Madyar' Brovdi, commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces, announced on July 15 that the Black Sea phase of the maritime campaign had begun, with 20 Russian vessels struck including oil tankers. Madyar's quote 'the first round of the maritime battle is over. Now it's the Black Sea' framed the Azov campaign as a completed first phase, not an ongoing one. > ""The first round of the maritime battle is over. Now it's the Black Sea," Robert 'Madyar' Brovdi, commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces, said on July 15." Source: https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-expands-maritime-campaign-to-black-sea-hits-20-russian-vessels-including-oil-tankers-madyar-says/ ### Ukrainian government-linked media; confirmed the 20 vessels struck, breaking down the 17 oil tankers, providing the specific composition of the Black Sea targets - **United24 Media** (Ukraine, en) — United24 Media reported Ukraine's drone forces struck 20 Russian vessels in the Black Sea, including 17 oil tankers, in the first Black Sea operation of MoLoChKa, framing it as a direct continuation from the Azov campaign where sea drones had already disrupted Kerch Strait shipping. > "Ukraine's drone forces report striking 20 Russian vessels, including 17 oil tankers, in the Black Sea, expanding their campaign beyond the Sea of Azov." Source: https://united24media.com/war-in-ukraine/after-the-sea-of-azov-ukraines-drone-fleet-turns-to-the-black-sea-hitting-20-russian-ships-20788 ### Indian media; provided the nine-day Azov tally (105 ships) and the Baltic dimension, adding Lithuania's warning of Russian plans for targeted infrastructure attacks, an angle absent from Ukrainian-outlet reporting - **Sunday Guardian** (India, en) — The Sunday Guardian reported Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces struck 105 Russian shadow fleet vessels in the Sea of Azov over nine days in Operation MoLoChKa, suspending Kerch Strait shipping and causing fuel shortages in Russian-occupied Crimea. It also carried Lithuania's warning that Russian intelligence was actively preparing targeted attacks on Baltic critical infrastructure. > "Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces struck 105 Russian shadow fleet vessels in the Sea of Azov over nine days, suspending Kerch Strait shipping and causing fuel shortages in Russian-occupied Crimea." Source: https://sundayguardianlive.com/world/russia-ukraine-war-latest-news-ukraines-sea-drones-strike-105-russian-shadow-fleet-ships-in-nine-days-lithuania-warns-moscow-planning-targeted-attacks-on-critical-infrastructure-237282/ ### Ukrainian independent outlet; covered the diplomatic framing by reporting Brovdi's mockery of Lavrov's 'piracy' accusation, inverting Russia's own framing of the Hormuz situation - **Kyiv Post** (Ukraine, en) — Kyiv Post reported that Brovdi publicly mocked Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov's characterisation of the drone strikes as 'piracy,' after announcing that 20 Russian vessels had been hit in the Black Sea. The exchange underlined that both Kyiv and Moscow were contesting the maritime-law framing of their respective naval operations. > "Brovdi mocked Lavrov's 'piracy' claim after announcing Ukrainian drone strikes on 20 Russian vessels in the Black Sea." Source: https://www.kyivpost.com/post/80290 ### US media; placed the Black Sea expansion in the context of Ukraine's Sea of Azov campaign, examining what the new theater means for Russia's ability to supply Crimea - **Newsweek** (United States, en) — Newsweek described the Azov campaign as a new form of economic and logistical pressure on Russia, documenting the aftermath of a drone strike on a vessel in the Sea of Azov and examining how the expansion to the Black Sea widens Ukraine's maritime reach against Russia's shadow fleet and supply routes to occupied Crimea. > "Ukraine's drone strategy intensifies, hitting Russian vessels and shifting the maritime campaign's focus to the Black Sea." Source: https://www.newsweek.com/sea-of-azov-ukraine-new-campaign-against-russia-12197723 ### Ukrainian news outlet; reported that Operation MoLoChKa targeted a strategic shipping corridor Russia uses to transport fuel to occupied territories - **KNEWS** (Ukraine, en) — KNEWS reported that Ukraine escalated Operation MoLoChKa by targeting a crucial Black Sea shipping corridor Russia relies on to transport goods to occupied territories, describing the campaign as a disruption of a strategic supply route rather than purely a shadow-fleet-sanction operation. > "Ukraine escalated its offensive aimed at disrupting a crucial shipping route used by Russia to transport goods to occupied territories." Source: https://knews.media/2026/07/15/ukraine-expands-operation-molochka-in-strategic-black-sea-corridor/ ### Ukrainian outlet; provided a cumulative tally of 136 vessels struck over 10 days (Azov and Black Sea combined), a figure higher than other outlets' nine-day Azov count alone - **Liga.net** (Ukraine, uk) — Liga.net reported that Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces had struck 136 Russian shadow fleet vessels in total over the past 10 days across both the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea, a cumulative figure that exceeds the nine-day Azov tally reported elsewhere, suggesting the campaign began slightly earlier or counting methodology differs. > "Over the past 10 days, Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces struck 136 vessels of the Russian Federation's shadow fleet; the operation has now expanded to the Black Sea." Source: https://news.liga.net/en/war/news/moscow-will-fall-because-of-crimea-the-sbs-operation-has-reached-the-black-sea-20-more-tankers-have-been-captured ### unlabelled - **London Business News** (United Kingdom, en) — Source: https://londonlovesbusiness.com/ukraine-black-sea-drone-attack-russian-ships/ - **Hvylya** (Ukraine, uk) — Source: https://en.hvylya.net/news/2830-ukraine-s-drone-force-takes-its-shadow-fleet-hunt-into-the-black-sea - **Euromaidan Press** (Ukraine, en) — Source: https://euromaidanpress.com/2026/07/15/the-azov-sea-wasnt-enough-ukraines-drones-followed-russias-oil-fleet-into-the-black-sea/ ## Across the graph - Related: [[ukraine-shadow-fleet-azov-jul9]], [[ukraine-azov-drone-vessels-jul11]], [[ukraine-azov-kerch-drone-blockade-jul11]], [[ukraine-russia-war-dossier]] - Entities: Ukraine, Russia, Ukraine Russia War --- Canonical: https://rbtfl.xyz/ja/n/ukraine-molochka-blacksea-jul15