Kyiv [Ukraine], December 1 (ANI): Ukrainian underwater drones have targeted two tankers belonging to Russia’s so-called shadow fleet in the Black Sea, a Ukrainian security official confirmed, marking the latest escalation in Kyiv’s campaign to disrupt Moscow’s oil exports, CNN reported.
Ukraine claimed responsibility after explosions hit the vessels on Friday and Saturday. A security source said Sea Baby maritime drones were used in a joint operation involving Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) and its navy. Russia has not issued an immediate response.
Both tankers sustained critical damage and were effectively disabled. “This will deal a significant blow to the transportation of Russian oil,” the Ukrainian source said. Russia uses hundreds of tankers—many sailing under flags of convenience—to ship oil to customers in defiance of sanctions, CNN reported.
One targeted vessel, the Gambian-flagged tanker Virat, was struck a second time on Saturday after already sustaining damage the previous day, Turkey’s Transport Ministry said. Turkish maritime authorities reported minor damage above the waterline and confirmed there was no fire on board. The ship was about 30 miles (50 km) off the Turkish coast at the time. Tracking data showed it slowing down and turning toward land late Friday. “There is no request from the personnel to abandon the ship,” the ministry added, though a firefighting tugboat was dispatched.
The Turkish foreign ministry later expressed concern over the attacks, citing “serious risks to the safety of navigation, life, property, and the environment in the region.” Virat’s destination remained unclear, with shipping data indicating it was awaiting orders somewhere in the Black Sea. The tanker had been sanctioned by the United States in January under a different name and later faced sanctions from the United Kingdom and the European Union.
A second explosion struck another sanctioned tanker, the Gambian-flagged Kairos, which transports Russian crude oil. The vessel was severely damaged, and all 25 crew members were evacuated. Neither tanker was within Turkish territorial waters during the attacks. Footage showed Turkish tugs battling a large fire on the Kairos approximately 30 miles off the Turkish coast. By Saturday, authorities reported the fire on the ship’s open deck had been extinguished. The 275-meter-long tanker, weighing nearly 80,000 tons, had been sanctioned by the EU earlier this year.
Several unexplained explosions occurred earlier this year on ships carrying oil to Russia from the Black Sea. Both Virat and Kairos had transited the Bosphorus Strait into the Black Sea, along with other sanctioned vessels.
A marine drone attack early Saturday targeted a mooring point in Novorossiysk, part of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which transports oil from Kazakhstan through Russia to overseas customers. Kazakhstan’s energy ministry announced plans to redirect oil exports to alternative routes following the strike. Its foreign affairs ministry condemned the attack, stating it “harmed relations between the Central Asian nation and Ukraine.” Spokesperson Aibek Smadiyarov described it as “the third act of aggression against an exclusively civilian facility whose operation is safeguarded by norms of international law.” Novorossiysk has been targeted by Ukrainian drones multiple times this year.
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