Ukraine claims drones disabled 300 Russian-linked vessels in Black and Azov Seas since July

Brovdi said the campaign was intended to disable vessels without sinking them, reducing the risk of oil spills.

“The Sea of Azov is at a standstill and will remain so, along with the Kerch Strait,” he said in comments published by Ukrainian online newspaper Ukrainska Pravda. “In the northern and north-eastern parts of the Black Sea, it's a case of, 'maybe we'll get through'.”

Brovdi also claimed that Ukrainian forces struck 159 tankers during a 12-day period at the beginning of July.

The campaign has coincided with broader attacks on commercial ships and port infrastructure. Swiss shipping company MSC suspended new bookings to and from Novorossiysk after MSC Ulsan III was attacked by a drone while sailing towards the Russian port.