russian shadow fleet. war in Ukraine. FPV drones. war crimes

russian propaganda claims that Ukraine carried out a terrorist attack on the ‘peaceful sea vessel Dashan’ in the Black Sea. ‘This is already the fourth civilian vessel to be attacked in less than a month. There must be a response!’ propagandists urge. In reality, this is manipulation. The Dashan tanker was not a ‘peaceful vessel’ but part of russia's ‘shadow fleet’ used to finance the war in Ukraine. 

The Dashan tanker was under sanctions (EU, UK, Canada, Australia and Switzerland): https://war-sanctions.gur.gov.ua/ru/transport/shadow-fleet/491 The vessel transported russian raw materials in circumvention of international law and sanctions against its oil industry and was an instrument of russia's economic activity abroad. 
Moreover, the tanker, flying the flag of the Comoros Islands, was sailing in Ukraine's exclusive economic zone towards the port terminal of Novorossiysk. It was sailing at maximum speed with its transponder turned off, which is already a violation of maritime law, according to the Radio Svoboda website: https://www.radiosvoboda.org/a/news-sbu-drony-tanker-ataka/33619402.html
In an interview with Radio Svoboda, Kateryna Yaresko, a journalist with the SeaKrime investigative project of the Myrotvorets Centre, noted that russia transports almost a quarter of its oil via the Black Sea. Therefore, the tankers of russia's ‘shadow fleet’ are a legitimate target for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and such attacks are not acts of terrorism. The destruction of such tankers contributes to a reduction in ‘dirty’ dollars flowing into russia's budget and, as a result, reduces the military potential of the aggressor country.
It should be added that russia itself has been carrying out terrorist attacks on Ukraine's civilian and energy infrastructure since 2022, resulting in numerous casualties among the civilian population and destruction. And yet the russians still have the cynicism to accuse Kyiv of ‘terrorism.’
The number of war crimes committed by the russian army with the help of FPV drones is growing.
russian FPV drones have become one of the main causes of civilian deaths and injuries, and in some months their ‘contribution’ has even exceeded that of artillery, missiles and aerial bombs, according to a report by the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission (HRMM): https://ukraine.ohchr.org/en/Deadly-drones-Civilians-at-risk-from-short-range-drones-in-frontline-areas-of-Ukraine-24-February-2022-30-April-2025
The Mission documented strikes on cyclists, private cars, ambulances, evacuation buses, humanitarian missions and civilians near houses. None of the victims showed any signs of involvement in hostilities.
The report also notes that FPV strikes are blocking humanitarian aid: volunteers, medics and civil servants cannot work safely, and civilians cannot receive medicine, food or evacuation.
Based on the data collected, the UN states that russian drone operators are violating the principles of international humanitarian law, and most of these attacks can be classified as war crimes.
russia is deliberately attacking Ukrainian hotels.
Over the past two years, russia has increased the intensity of its attacks on hotels in Ukraine, according to a report by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) in collaboration with the Ukrainian organisation Truth Hounds: https://rsf.org/en/new-report-rsf -and-truth-hounds-reveal-russian-strategy-bombing-ukrainian-hotels-silence-press
More than 40 cases are already known. In total, 33 media workers have been caught in russian attacks on hotels, at least 12 of them have been injured and three have been killed.
‘Russian strikes on hotels where journalists are staying in Ukraine are not random or chaotic. They are an important part of a strategy of terror aimed at suppressing coverage of the war,’ says Pauline Moffret, RSF's regional manager for Ukraine. 
Roman Koval, head of research at Truth Hounds, notes that the attacks on hotels follow a clear logic and have specific time patterns, which distinguishes them from many other strikes on civilian infrastructure.
Based on materials from Stopfake.org, Spravdi.ua