Russian shadow-fleet tankers transiting the Bosporus have added nets, metal cages, and suspended rubber tires to shield sensitive engine and steering gear from drone strikes, while companies allocate funds to domestic infrastructure defense amid attacks.
Nearly every day since August, Russian oil tankers have emerged from the Black Sea into Istanbul carrying crude oil displaying nets, cages, rubber tires and other antidrone devices. Maritime analysts reviewing photographic evidence documented at least 60 vessels equipped with makeshift anti-drone defenses passing through the Bosphorus Strait. Such defensive netting mirrors the sprawling web structures seen covering roadways and edifices throughout front-line Ukrainian municipalities, where unmanned aerial vehicles have emerged as a primary instrument of combat.
Makeshift Armor on Sanctioned Tankers in the Bosphorus
Security analysts monitoring the maritime corridor point out that these crude defensive additions target vulnerable areas, including engines, steering equipment, and bridge windows. Security specialist Eric Woods pointed out that the equipment seems to be an improvised solution hastily installed to safeguard vulnerable areas like machinery spaces. Alongside wire mesh and metal framing, crews have suspended old vehicle tires from ship decks to protect engines and rudders from attacks.
It looks like the netting they have on the front line.
Eric Woods, independent security analyst
Samuel Bendett, an analyst of military robotics with the security policy institute CNA, noted that these nets and cages represent the cheapest and easiest way to protect a ship against UAVs and will likely become a global trend. The aging tankers operate outside global norms for insuring and regulating shipping, meaning they are frequently underwritten by Russia’s state-backed banks. Woods observed that these efforts explicitly try to put pressure on the Russian banking system and their ability to fund insurance. The commander of Ukraine’s drone forces reported in September that operations had disabled 300 Russian shadow-fleet vessels since July.
Nearly all identified vessels fall under U.S. or other Western sanctions for transporting Russian oil. Because these aging carriers rely heavily on financial backing from Russian state-supported banks, physical damage to the fleet could place pressure on Russia’s financial system, according to Woods.
Domestic Infrastructure Spending Across Russian State Companies
On land, Russian companies have poured a total of 17 billion rubles into counter-drone protection as aerial strikes reach deeper into domestic territory. An analysis of state procurement data published by Novaya Gazeta Europe reveals that power transmission grids, water utilities, and civilian airports are prioritizing physical defenses against incoming unmanned systems. Power grid operator Rosseti and its subsidiaries lead all corporate spenders by allocating more than 3 billion rubles to anti-drone defenses.
| Company or Utility | Sector | Rubles Allocated | Approximate USD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rosseti | Power Transmission | > 3 billion rubles | N/A |
| Mosvodokanal | Water & Hydro Power | 1.7 billion rubles | $21 million |
| Inter RAO | Thermal Power | 1.3 billion rubles | $16 million |
| TGC-2 | Combined Heat & Power | 400 million rubles | $5 million |
| Lukoil-Ecoenergo | Hydroelectric Power | 350 million rubles | $4.3 million |
| Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Airport | Civil Aviation | 300 million rubles | $3.7 million |
At electrical substations and power plants, maintenance crews have adopted structural barricades. Operations in various regions feature shipping containers installed around critical substation equipment to form protective barriers, topped by multi-layered anti-drone nets designed to keep drones from making direct contact with sensitive transformers. Protective walls made of shipping containers were also erected at the Novoshakhtinsk and Kstovo Oil Refinery in September, and at the Ilsky Plant in the Krasnodar Region in October.
Retaliatory Strikes and the Breakdown of Proposed Truces
The defensive measures follow an intensified campaign of long-range Ukrainian strikes targeting power generation, oil refineries, and distribution facilities across a broad area, from occupied Crimea to Russia’s Ryazan region. Ukrainian leadership confirmed that retaliatory energy strikes intensified after Moscow rejected mutual de-escalation offers.
So now, when they attack our energy, we respond on energy.
Volodymyr Zelensky
Zelensky stated that Ukraine had supported a U.S. proposal, but Russia did not reciprocate and instead launched a major attack on Ukrainian energy facilities. Amid ongoing military pressure and diplomatic efforts, Russian authorities signed a decree allowing the Federal Agency for State Property Management, or another government-designated entity, to impose temporary management on critical infrastructure facilities whose owners fail to protect them against security threats and drone attacks.