Houthis rebels have attacked two Russian oil tankers carrying around 100,000 tonnes of oil which will be a blow for Moscow as Vladimir Putin is heavily reliant on selling these exports to fund his war.
The Houthis rebels based in Yemen attacked the two Russian vessels as they were sailing through the Red Sea on Monday using drones and small boats.
The British military’s UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre reported that “unmanned small craft collided with the vessel twice and the two manned small craft fired at the vessel.
“The vessel conducted self-protection measures, after 15 minutes the small craft aborted the attack.”
The tanker was enroute to Shanghai after departing from Taman in southern Russia and the captain said there was three different missile attacks which exploded close to the heavily ladened oil tanker.
A Houthi UAV was used in the attack that “impacted on the port side causing some damage and light smoke,” the UKMTO said.
US Central Command said the attacks are reckless, adding, “The Houthis claim to be acting on behalf of Palestinians in Gaza and yet they are targeting and threatening the lives of third-country nationals who have nothing to do with the conflict in Gaza.
