SHOCKING pictures show Putin’s charred “shadow fleet” tanker drifting with no crew after it was blitzed by Ukrainian drones.
The 277-metre-long Arctic Metagaz has been drifting without crew since a series of explosions blasted the vessel over a week ago.
New images of the vessel have emerged showing its blackened exterior and hole ridden hull.
It was snapped 50 nautical miles southwest of Malta.
Russia accused Ukraine of targeting the Metagaz with “uncrewed sea drones” in the Mediterranean between Libya and Malta.
The March 4 attack was launched from the Libyan coast.
Ukraine’s SBU state security service has not commented on the allegation.
The vessel has been sanctioned by the United States and the European Union for being part of Moscow’s “shadow fleet”.
Made up of ageing tankers the fleet transports Russian oil and gas around the world, skirting Western restrictions.
The wreck has been closely monitored by authorities in Malta and Italy fearing pollution.
The ship was reportedly carrying significant quantities of gas, heavy oil and diesel fuel.
“A potential spill could cause fires, cryogenic clouds lethal to marine life, and widespread and long-lasting pollution of water and the atmosphere,” WWF Italy warned in a statement.
Adding: “The affected area is of exceptional ecological value, with fragile deep-sea ecosystems and some of the highest biodiversity in the Mediterranean basin.”
Initial reports said the ship had sunk after explosions triggered a fire on board the vessel.
The Libyans said the tanker sank about 130 nautical miles north of the Libyan port of Sirte.
Russia’s transport ministry said 30 Russians were aboard the Arctic Metagaz.
They were all found “safe and sound in a lifeboat” by Malta’s armed forces, Maltese Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri said.
But, Malta’s transport authority last week said the wreck was still afloat.
Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Kyiv has carried out a series of attacks on Russia’s sanctioned vessels using naval drones.
But nearly all of these strikes have been in the Black Sea.
