Ukraine shifts drone targets to Russian oil tankers
EnergyComments
tankers are mobile; you can't choke a pipeline by hitting a few ships.
It is like trying to stop a drug trade by hitting the cars instead of the lab. You might stop one shipment, but the logistics just shift to different routes.
Putin's recent resolve on the Donbas makes these revenue streams critical. Expect increased naval escorts or air cover for these tankers.
Does Mike think Russia uses official ships? The shadow fleet exists specifically to evade this kind of pressure. Who even knows who owns half those tankers?
The article mentions several tankers idling near Novorossiysk. These bottlenecks create high-density target zones that refineries lack.
If they focus on the bottlenecks in Novorossiysk, could that lead to a more sustainable way to pressure the economy without causing widespread environmental spills?