Ukraine sows panic in the heart of the Mediterranean as it reportedly deployed drones to strike a Russian cargo ship in the Mediterranean Sea near the Greek island of Crete, according to tracking data, video footage, and online reports rebroadcast on September 7 by SouthFront.
Specifically, the strike took place on September 6 as the Lady Mariia, a roll-on/roll-off vehicle carrier of 7,184 deadweight tonnage, was transiting east toward Syria.
It is emphasized that neither Kyiv nor Moscow has officially confirmed the incident, while the full extent of the damage to the ship remains unknown.
Tracking data placed the Russian-flagged vessel in the Mediterranean one day prior to the attack, after it had departed from the port of Oran in Algeria.
Ukrainian operations increasingly closer to Greece
Managed by MG-Flot, the Lady Mariia, previously known as Stella-Maria, was sanctioned by the US Department of the Treasury in 2022.
Ukrainian military intelligence services assert that the vessel is regularly used to transport weapons and military hardware between Russian and Syrian ports, although independent verification of its current cargo is pending.
The weekend attack closely mirrors another high-profile interception in the Mediterranean earlier this year.
On March 3, the Russian-flagged tanker Arctic Metagaz suffered severe damage between Libya and Malta, in what was widely regarded as an attack by a Ukrainian sea drone.
Libya turned into a battlefield of the Ukrainian war
These remote naval strikes in the Mediterranean are part of a broader, covert campaign by Kyiv to disrupt Russian shipping.
According to an investigation by Radio France Internationale in April, more than 200 Ukrainian officers and specialists, primarily drone experts, had established a presence in western Libya with the approval of the Tripoli-based government under Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah.
The personnel operated from three main locations: the Air Force Academy in Misrata, a coastal drone facility near Zawiya adjacent to the Mellitah oil and gas complex, and a coordination point at a brigade headquarters in Tripoli.
GUR operatives launch drones into the Mediterranean
The agreement, reached in late 2025, included training Libyan forces in drone operations in exchange for access to bases, according to the journalistic investigation.
These reports were subsequently confirmed by the Associated Press, which cited two Libyan officials stating that Ukrainian operatives launched drones from positions in western Libya and were directly responsible for the March strike on the Arctic Metagaz.
One official stated that the attack originated from a military facility in Tripoli.
Ukrainian authorities have not confirmed the details of any deployment in Libya.
Cooperation between Kyiv and Tripoli backfires...
It is also rumored that the attack on the Lady Mariia was carried out from Libya, with video footage suggesting that the vessel was attacked by one or more multi-rotor bomber drones, which were most likely launched from an unmanned surface craft.
Russia, which maintains close ties with the Libyan National Army controlling the eastern part of the country, holds only Ukraine responsible for the attack on the Arctic Metagaz.
Moscow could, however, apply pressure on Dbeibah regarding this latest attack, if indeed it was also launched from Libya.
Cooperation between Tripoli and Kyiv could backfire against it.
The barrage against tankers in the Mediterranean Sea is the work of a... NATO country
Behind the attack by Kyiv on the Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker «Arctic Metagaz» lies a NATO country, military expert Alexey Anpilogov claimed at the time.
According to the Ministry of Transport of Russia, the vessel was struck in the Mediterranean Sea by Ukrainian uncrewed surface vessels (USV).
It is presumed that they were launched from the coasts of Libya.
However, Anpilogov conceded that a NATO country hides behind the operation.
Similarities to Nord Stream
The analyst compared the strike to the blowing up of Nord Stream, considering that the two situations share a «conceptually similar picture».
In this context, he believes that Ukraine is merely the smokescreen.
«Since the beginning of the Special Military Operation, Ukraine has been a convenient smokescreen for a number of Western countries in any anti-Russian operation», the expert contends.
The specialist noted that the use of unmanned vessels allows for anonymous attacks or «false flag» strikes, as USVs have no nationality or home port and their control channels are encrypted.
He argued that Kyiv lacks the necessary fleet for such strikes in the Mediterranean, and using commercial ships involves a high risk of failure.
Coordinating and targeting such operations requires a warship in the region, leading him to the conclusion that the organizer is a NATO country.
Who is hiding behind Kyiv: The plan of Brussels
According to the expert, Great Britain or France may be involved as a priority, while he does not rule out Germany or Poland.
«Ukraine was most likely assigned the role of executor once again», he stated.
He assesses that the «European protectors» deliberately highlighted Ukrainian involvement to clear themselves of accusations of international maritime terrorism, believing that the actions of Kyiv would be justified by the international community due to the conflict with Moscow.
The goal of the European Union and NATO is to increase the risk for the transit of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) worldwide, in order to force buyers to reject contracts with Moscow.
«At the same time, Europe is striking itself.
The gas and oil markets are global.
Russian supplies are an integral part of them», emphasizes Alexey Anpilogov.
The analyst emphasized that any incident with the Russian fleet will send prices soaring, directly affecting European consumers.
Kyiv's attempt to impress Trump
Igor Yushkov, an expert at the National Energy Security Fund, believes that Kyiv attacked the tanker to draw the attention of the US, which has recently been focusing on the Middle East.
He described the actions of the Ukrainian side as an attempt to present themselves to American President Donald Trump as «guardians of the sanctions».
He assessed that the target was not specific, but «they struck whatever they could reach» to cause an increase in energy prices.
Moscow: Act of international terrorism
Russian President Vladimir Putin described the attack in the Mediterranean at the time as a terrorist act.
«This is a terrorist attack. It is not the first time we have encountered this sort of thing», the Russian president stated.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that such actions constitute a flagrant violation of international law and a threat to the safety of navigation, while warning of the massive environmental disaster that could be caused.
Russia reserves the right to take political and diplomatic measures.
The fate of the crew and Malta's stance
The attack occurred on March 3 near the territorial waters of Malta.
However, this country, an EU member, refused to evacuate the crew, arguing that the incident happened outside its own search and rescue zone.
Ultimately, thanks to the efforts of Russian and Maltese rescue services, all 30 crew members (Russian citizens) were rescued.
As stated by Nikolai Shestakov, two injured sailors with burn injuries were transferred to the hospital in Benghazi, Libya, to receive medical care.
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