A grounded Russian tanker has been hit by a Ukrainian missile attack near Kherson, Ukraine.
The Militarnyi website cited the commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk, as saying the 5,500-dwt Mekhanik Pogodin (built 2011) was being used a Russian command post in the region.
Video footage from a Ukrainian drone shows a huge fireball engulfing the accommodation block of the tanker as it lies on a mud flat, 2.5 km from the village of Vynohradne.
This propelled a large part of the bridge roof into the air. Large black plumes of smoke were then seen.
According to AIS data, the tanker’s last known location was the port of Kherson.
Security company Ambrey Analytics reported that, following the destruction of the Kakhovka dam in June, the tanker was reportedly swept to Yanushiv Island, where it allegedly served as a “Russian forces control point”.
Several vessels are stranded in Ukrainian waters following the closure of ports after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
These vessels are at heightened risk of collateral damage. TradeWinds has previously reported on stranded vessels in Kherson suffering missile strikes, most recently on 28 February.
Equasis lists the owner of the Mekhanik Pogodin as Volga Shipping of Russia, which has been contacted for comment.
The Militarnyi website said that in 2018 the tanker was blocked in Kherson by Ukrainian law enforcement agencies.
Sanctioned by Ukraine
According to the permanent representative of the president of Ukraine in Crimea, Borys Babin, the vessel was on the National and Security Defence Council of Ukraine sanctions list.
After the occupation of Kherson in 2022, Russian forces tried to withdraw the sanctioned tanker, but were unable to do so.
The vessel later fell into the so-called “grey zone” between Ukrainian and Russian forces.
It is thought likely the ship was used by Russian units as a fortified facility for deploying electronic intelligence and surveillance equipment.
