Air Delivered event in Central Mediterranean Sea area, Libya on Fri 19th December 2025

On 19 December 2025, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) carried out drone strikes against an oil tanker belonging to Russia's so-called 'shadow fleet' off the coast of Libya, coded to the Central Mediterranean Sea. The incident was considered the first attack of its kind in the area since the start of the war in Ukraine. The SBU stated that the vessel, identified as Qandil, was empty at the time of the strike and did not pose an environmental threat, although it did not clarify how the drones reached the ship, which sustained severe damage. The term 'shadow fleet' refers to tankers that transport Russian oil while circumventing Western sanctions.