ISTANBUL—Russia’s shadow fleet of oil tankers is decking itself out in netting, metal cages and other tools to protect against a wave of Ukrainian drone strikes on the energy exports that are proving such a vital economic lifeline for the Kremlin.
Isik, who leads a consulting firm called Bosphorus Observer, photographed the ships, nearly all of which are under U.S. and other Western sanctions for transporting Russian oil. “It looks like Kharkiv. Another technique is to hang rubber tires from the deck to protect the engine and rudder, a crude way of stopping a drone from crashing into a ship and disabling it. “For Russia, earning foreign currency is under great threat. The number couldn’t be independently verified. The attacks also turn the tables on Russia after years in which Moscow’s forces have targeted Ukraine’s energy and other vital infrastructure as a part of a campaign to psychologically wear down the Ukrainian civilian population.
At least 60 ships draped in countermeasures to ward off drones have been documented transiting the Bosporus since August, according to images of the vessels reviewed by The Wall Street Journal and provided by Yoruk Isik, a ship spotter and maritime analyst based in Istanbul. The commander of Ukraine’s drone forces said in September that they had disabled 300 Russian shadow-fleet vessels since July. Ukraine has long targeted Russia’s shadow fleet, but it stepped up attacks in 2025 in an attempt to gain leverage over Russia when the Trump administration was pushing the two countries to negotiate an end to the war.
It looks like the netting they have on the front line,” said Eric Woods, an independent security analyst and longtime Russia observer. The nets hanging on the Russian oil tankers appear to be a makeshift measure, quickly strung up to protect the most sensitive parts of the ship such as engine components, according to military analysts who reviewed the images for the Journal. “It’s more in-your-face proof that the Russian navy has lost control in the Black Sea,” said Isik. “They’re explicitly trying to put pressure on the Russian banking system and their ability to fund insurance,” said Woods.
“It’s going to be a global trend,” said Samuel Bendett, an analyst of military robotics with the security policy institute CNA, referring to the nets and cages. “It’s the cheapest and easiest way to protect a ship against UAVs.”
