Russian tankers are a legitimate target for the Armed Forces

Tankers transporting fuel for the Russian military are a legitimate target for the Defense Forces of Ukraine.

Tankers that supply the invaders with fuel should be a legitimate military target for the Armed Forces. This was stated by expert Mykhailo Gonchar during the discussion “Threats to maritime security of Ukraine, the EU and NATO and mechanisms of protection”, “Ukrinform”writes .

Gonchar emphasized that destroying the remnants of the Russian fleet is a task that will take time. However, right now the Defense Forces are creating a number of serious infrastructure problems for the enemy.

The expert stated that in the context of civilian vessels exporting oil products of the aggressor country, several things need to be understood and distinguished. According to him, there is no point in trying to sink tankers carrying crude oil, because, firstly, it is practically impossible to do, and secondly, “no one puts crude oil into the tanks of planes, tanks or cars.”

It is another matter when it comes to food tankers, with which the Russian Federation transports diesel and gasoline to supply the occupying forces.

“We remember the only precedent when our combat drone hit such a product tanker “SIG” near the Kerch Strait on August 5, 2023. This served as a trigger for discussions about what should not be done in this way. As we can see, there were no more precedents, unfortunately, – said Gonchar. – In my opinion, this is precisely a legitimate military goal, since one of the laws of warfare is to deprive the enemy of fuel resources and interrupt logistical chains. Therefore, it should be done in the future.”

USM recently wrote that in Ukraine, air-to-air R-73 missiles with a homing system were installed on naval drones.