On the morning of December 10, 2025, just six months ago, in the Black Sea, a Ukrainian military operation is underway against Russia’s phantom oil tanker fleet.
A Sea Baby drone strikes the ship Dashan, formerly known as Mianzimu, with the IMO number: 9299666, and sinks it. The Russian tanker, sailing under the Gambian flag, was heading towards Novorossiysk, Russia, with its departure port being Tuzla, Turkey.
The operation is similar to the one carried out on Friday morning, on May 5, against the Russian tanker Safeen Elona. It departed from the port of Midia Navodari and was also heading towards Novorossiysk.
Due to intense jamming operations carried out by Russian forces, the drone group awaiting the arrival of the tanker offshore is disoriented, according to official statements made by Romanian authorities, and a Ukrainian drone crashes in the port of Constanta. A catastrophe is narrowly averted through a last-minute collaboration between Ukraine and Romania, with the drone detonating after the evacuation of civilians. No injuries or casualties were reported.
Dashan/Mianzimu, the ship destroyed by the Ukrainians in the Black Sea, was on the target list of the Kiev forces, as well as on the European Union sanctions list, starting from December 17, 2024.
The target vessel, subject to both the European Union embargo and Ukraine's, visited the port of Constanta at least once, according to navigation data monitoring published by the Ukrainian government.
Kiev forces destroyed the tanker exactly one year after the embargo was imposed.
What happened on Friday, June 5, is not an isolated case. The Ukrainian navy has carried out numerous operations to destroy Russia's phantom fleet.
“During the embargo on Russian oil imposed by the G7 and the European Union, starting in 2024, the tanker Dashan was involved in the export of Russian oil to third countries from the Russian ports in the Baltic Sea, engaging in dubious activities at sea, with the AIS signal turned off,” the Ukrainian government's statement reads.
A vessel from the phantom fleet that is not from the phantom fleet
“There was speculation that these drones, all four of them, were tracking a vessel from the phantom fleet of Russia, which came to unload oil at Rompetrol,” stated President Nicușor Dan, in a press conference on June 6, in Constanța, where he attended a military event.
“It is not a vessel from the phantom fleet, it is a vessel that conducted this type of commercial routes between the Russian port of Novorossiysk, used by Kazakhstan for oil exports. As I said, it is not defined by the European Union or the United States in the sanctions list and has made this route several times,” the President added.
Firstly, the article published by spotmedia.ro was not based on any speculation, but on information, admittedly obtained from journalistic sources, but the information was confirmed, including the fact that Romanian authorities did not deny it when asked for a reaction before the article was published.
Secondly, the term Russia's phantom fleet does not only refer to vessels sanctioned by the European Union or NATO, but also those listed by Ukraine as "war sanctions".
The links on the Ukrainian government's website have the ending "shadow-fleet," translated as phantom fleet. Both the vessel Safeen Elona and the vessel Dashan/Mianzimu were under Ukraine's "war sanctions."
Both vessels had visited Romanian ports after being categorized as such, becoming enemy targets for the Ukrainian navy.
Vessels from Russia's phantom fleet, not under European Union sanctions and sunk or damaged by the Ukrainian military navy
Below is a list of vessels hit and damaged by Ukrainian forces following drone attacks or other special operations, which were under Ukraine's sanctions, but not under those of the European Union or NATO, similar to the case of the tanker Safeen Elona.
- Midvolga-2, IMO:9735139. The Russian vessel was hit in the northern part of Sinop, Turkey, in the Black Sea, on December 2, 2025.
- Altura, IMO: 9292199. On March 26, 2026, the tanker under the flag of Sierra Leone was hit by a drone in the Black Sea, near the Bosporus Strait. The vessel was carrying Russian oil, according to Ukrainian authorities. It sustained damage in the deck area and the engine room.
- Mersin, IMO:9428683. The tanker, owned by a Turkish company, was transporting oil from Russia and was frequently seen in the ports of this country, was critically damaged in the Atlantic Ocean, on December 3, 2025, off the west coast of Africa, following a Ukrainian special operation.
- Seajewel, IMO: 9585900. The tanker belonging to Malta's commercial fleet was blown up in a sabotage action, most likely by Ukrainian special forces. The action took place on February 14, 2025, in the Mediterranean Sea.
- Grace Ferrum/Aigaio Pelagos, IMO: 9667928. Damaged by an explosion on board while sailing in the southern Mediterranean Sea, in early February 2025. The tanker is involved in exporting oil from Russia, according to the Ukrainian government.
Vessels from Russia's phantom fleet that have docked in Constanța and Navodari ports
11 oil tankers transporting oil from Russia, declared enemy targets by the Ukrainian government, have operated in territorial waters and docked in Romanian ports.
6 of these tankers are also under European Union sanctions, and one vessel is under U.S. sanctions.
Paxmaris/Black Sea Eagle, IMO: 9495832. The tanker is involved in exporting Russian oil and petroleum products, according to the Ukrainian government.
Since the imposition of sanctions, the tanker has docked at least once in the port of Constanța and once in the port of Midia Năvodari, according to data published by the Ukrainian government.
Satna/Guruduev, IMO: 9253234. The tanker is involved in the supply chain of Russian oil and petroleum products, mainly from Russian ports on the Black Sea to third countries, as per the Ukrainian government.
The tanker, an enemy target for Kiev's forces, falls under the European Union sanctions, under the name Guruduev, on May 21, 2025.
The ship has docked at least once in the port of Constanța during the embargo period, according to Ukrainian monitoring.
Croco/Caria Ka, IMO: 9327360. The ship transports Rosneft petroleum products, loaded in the Russian port of Tuapse, where a maritime terminal is also in operation, as announced by the Ukrainian government.
The vessel, under the name Caria Ka, came under European Union sanctions on May 21, 2025.
According to monitoring carried out by Ukraine since joining Russia's phantom fleet, it has docked at least once in the port of Constanța.
Ira/Bela, IMO: 9270749. The ship is involved in the export of Russian oil and petroleum products from Russian ports in the Gulf of Finland and the Pacific region. The crew engages in deceptive practices by disabling the AIS tracking system, as stated in the Ukrainian government's report.
The vessel came under European Union sanctions on October 24, 2025.
According to Ukrainian monitoring, the tanker has docked at least once in the Port of Constanța since being listed by Kiev as part of Russia's phantom fleet.
Celine/Seal, IMO: 9252400. The tanker is involved in the export of Russian oil and petroleum products, mainly from Russian ports on the Black Sea, as indicated in the report by Ukrainian authorities.
The vessel came under European Union sanctions on October 24, 2025.
According to Ukrainian monitoring, the tanker has docked at least once in the Port of Constanța since being listed by Kiev as part of Russia's phantom fleet.
The sixth vessel listed by the Ukrainian government as part of Russia's phantom fleet and also under European Union sanctions is Dashan/Mianzimu, IMO: 9299666, destroyed by Ukrainian drones in the Black Sea on December 10, 2025. Dashan/Mianzimu has docked at least once in the port of Constanța since Ukrainian forces included it on the list of enemy targets.
Five other tankers from the phantom fleet have docked in the port of Constanța after being included on Ukraine's war sanctions list, but have not yet received a ban from the European Union.
NOTE. IMO stands for International Maritime Organization, and the IMO number is a unique 7-digit code permanently assigned to each ship by the International Maritime Organization, through the register maintained by Lloyd's Register in London.