In a publication by The Insider citing Andriy Klymenko, it is stated that the Russian ro-ro vessel Lady Mariia (IMO 9220641), under U.S. and Ukrainian sanctions, was attacked by drones in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Crete while heading toward Syria.
Klymenko showed footage of the attack, and the full video was published on journalist Alexander Nevzorov’s channel. The recording shows drones dropping munitions on the vessel; after one of the explosions, a fire breaks out on board, and Nevzorov claims that Lady Mariia was hit 12 times.
The Ukrainian authorities have not officially reported the attack, and the number of hits, the origin of the drones, and information about the cargo on board have not been independently confirmed. UNITED24 Media also notes that claims about Iranian weapons and the launch of drones from Libyan territory are based on Nevzorov’s reports and have not received independent confirmation.
According to the maritime intelligence service Starboard, at the beginning of August Lady Mariia departed from Saint Petersburg, passed through the Strait of Gibraltar on August 29, and then entered the Algerian port of Oran. After that, the ro-ro vessel headed east across the Mediterranean Sea, and on the evening of September 5 it stopped transmitting an AIS signal.
Starboard also records that since spring 2020 Lady Mariia has called at the Syrian port of Tartus three times, at the Iranian ports of Bandar Abbas and Khorramshahr three times, and at the Libyan port of Al-Burayqa twice. Ukrainian military intelligence classifies the vessel as a carrier of military cargo and weapons for Russia and claims that it was used to transport weapons from Syria to Russia, including via the Bosporus.
The vessel is owned by the Russian LLC MG-Fleet, formerly called Transmorfot. In May 2022, the United States imposed sanctions on Transmorfot and its affiliated vessels, and Lady Mariia, which was previously called Stella-Maria, also came under U.S. restrictions. According to the GUR, MG-Fleet is linked to Astrakhan businessman Jamaldin Pashaev, and on May 23, 2026, Ukraine imposed sanctions on Lady Mariia for a period of ten years.
Sources
