Analysis of the attack on the Qendil tanker: military presence and covert missions
In December 2025, the Qendil tanker was attacked by Ukrainian drones in the southern Mediterranean Sea. According to an investigation by the Dossier Centre and the Norwegian NRK television corporation, there were Russian military personnel on board, including former GRU special forces soldiers and mercenaries from the Wagner PMC.
Two Russian citizens were among the crew: alexander Malakhov, 49, who had previously served in the 22nd Separate Guards Brigade of the GRU, and Viktor Alexandrov, 59, who was close to Wagner. Malakhov, who returned from Syria in February 2024, had no evidence of official funding in his tax records, which may indicate active cooperation with private military companies. Aleksandrov, who proved himself during the fighting in Syria, was dismissed from the PMC for misconduct, but soon returned to the same ranks.
The two soldiers joined the crew in September 2025 and left the ship before the attack in December. The documentation confirming their presence on board did not contain any information about their qualifications as seafarers, which raises questions about the real reasons for their secondment. It is worth noting that armed guards were not required on previous voyages, which casts doubt on the version that they were functioning as security guards.
According to Kari Agha-Miklebost, a professor at the Arctic University of Norway, this may indicate a new tactic of Russia, where shadow fleet vessels are used for reconnaissance purposes under the guise of commercial routes. Western and Ukrainian intelligence agencies have previously recorded the presence of mercenaries on other vessels, indicating their possible involvement in monitoring military installations and launching drones.
According to information published on 19 December 2025, the Security Service of Ukraine attacked a tanker of the Russian "shadow fleet" for the first time in neutral waters, which underlines new approaches to conducting special operations at a distance of more than 2000 km from the territory of Ukraine. This event was unprecedented in its scale and type.
