PDB Afternoon Bulletin | July 9th, 2026: Ukraine Strikes Dozens Of Russian Ships & U.S.-Iran Strikes Intensify

**Mike Baker** (0:00)
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It's Thursday, the 9th of July. Oh, 9 July, which happens to be the birthday of our middle boy Sluggo. So, happy birthday to that excellent young man. And with that, welcome to The PDB Afternoon Bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. First up, Ukraine opens a new front in its campaign against Russia's wartime economy, striking dozens of oil tankers used to supply occupied Crimea and evade Western sanctions. We'll have the details. Later in the show, the US and Iran continue trading strikes. We'll have the latest on the ongoing conflict. But first, today's afternoon spotlight.
Ukraine's campaign against Russia's oil industry is entering a new phase. In recent months, Kiev has been using long-range drones to hammer Russian refineries, fuel depots and energy infrastructure, disrupting one of the Kremlin's most important sources of revenue. Now, it's expanding that campaign beyond Russia's shores. Instead of simply targeting the facilities that process oil, Ukrainian drones are now hunting the ships that transport it, launching what appears to be the largest sustained assault yet on Russia's so-called shadow fleet. According to Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces, drone operators have struck 35 Russian vessels over the past four days, including dozens of oil tankers operating in the Sea of Azov and the Kursk Strait. That's the narrow waterway that connects mainland Russia to occupied Crimea. Ukrainian officials say the attacks have targeted 31 tankers, along with several cargo ships and support vessels, many of which were allegedly transporting fuel and petroleum products to Russian forces on the peninsula. The latest wave of attacks came overnight into Thursday, when Ukraine says it struck another 14 vessels, including 12 oil tankers. Earlier this week, Ukrainian drones reportedly damaged another 21 ships over a three-day period. Now, if those numbers hold up, the operation would represent the largest coordinated campaign against Russia's maritime logistics network since Putin launched his full-scale invasion all the way back in 2022
Combat footage released by Ukraine appears to show swarms of domestically produced FP2 kamikaze drones slamming into the sides of moving tankers, igniting fires aboard the vessels. Rather than trying to sink the ships outright, the drones appear to be targeting bridges, engine rooms and fuel systems, disabling the vessels and forcing them out of service.
Russia has acknowledged at least some of the attacks, though it disputes Ukraine's overall claims. Officials in the Rostov region confirmed that two tankers were damaged overnight and said both crews had to be evacuated after fires broke out aboard the vessels. Earlier this week, Russian authorities also acknowledged drone strikes and injured two sailors while insisting that air defenses had intercepted many of the incoming drones.
Now, many of the vessels hit this week are believed to be part of Russia's so-called shadow fleet. That's, of course, a sprawling network of aging tankers used by Russia to bypass Western sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine. By operating through shell companies, changing ownership, disabling tracking systems and sailing under foreign flags, these ships allow Russia to continue exporting millions of barrels of crude oil to customers around the world despite those international restrictions.
Now, that trade has become one of the Kremlin's economic lifelines. Oil export revenues account for roughly a quarter of Russia's federal budget, providing critical funding for Moscow's war effort. Ukraine has long argued that the shadow fleet isn't simply engaged in commercial shipping, it's directly enabling Russia's ability to wage war. But there's another objective here as well, and that would be Crimea. The Sea of Azov and the Cursed Strait serve as vital supply routes between mainland Russia and occupied Crimea, carrying fuel and other supplies needed to sustain Russian military operations on the peninsula. Ukrainian officials say this week strikes are designed to choke off those logistics, while also worsening fuel shortages that have already emerged after months of successful attacks on Russian refineries, fuel depots, and storage facilities. This campaign also aligns with a broader strategy outlined by Ukraine's commander of unmanned systems, Robert Brovdi. He's vowed to isolate Crimea by systematically attacking the infrastructure that keeps Russian forces supplied. Now, it's important to note that we're not able to independently verify Ukraine's claims, and the true extent of the damage remains unclear. Russia has acknowledged only a fraction of the reported strikes, while Ukrainian officials maintain dozens of vessels have now been put out of action. Still, even if the final numbers prove lower than Kyiv's claims, the strategic shift is significant. Ukraine is no longer limiting its campaign to oil refineries and fuel depots on land. It's now taking aim at the ships that move Russian oil, finance the Kremlin's war machine, and keep occupied Crimea supplied, opening an entirely new front in its effort to weaken Moscow's ability to sustain the war.