/Reuters Agency
Ukraine claimed responsibility for a naval drone attack on two sanctioned tankers in the Black Sea, which were heading to a Russian port to load oil destined for foreign markets, according to Ukrainian officials. The offensive comes as Kyiv seeks to increase pressure on Russia’s vast oil industry.
The vessels, identified as the Kairos and the Virat, were empty and sailing towards Novorossiysk, a major Russian oil terminal in the Black Sea, according to a Ukrainian Security Service official who spoke to Reuters.
In footage shared by the official, naval drones could be seen advancing at high speed towards huge tankers, followed by powerful explosions that caused fires on the ships.
Reuters could not independently verify the identity of the ships in the videos or the location and date of the recordings.
“The video shows that, after being hit, both tankers suffered critical damage and were effectively put out of service. This will be a significant blow to Russian oil transportation,” the official said in a written statement.
Ukraine has been attacking Russian oil refineries for months, using long-range aerial drones to strike deep behind the front lines of Moscow’s large-scale war against Ukraine. The attacks on tankers represent a different type of offensive.
Kyiv has repeatedly called on the West to take real action against Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet,” which, according to the Ukrainian government, helps Moscow export large volumes of oil and fund its war in Ukraine despite Western sanctions.
The fleet, composed of hundreds of often aging and unregulated vessels, gained notoriety after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, evading Western sanctions aimed at reducing Moscow’s oil revenues.
Separately, the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), which handles over 1% of the world’s oil, reported on Saturday, November 29, that it halted operations after a mooring at the Russian Black Sea terminal was severely damaged by a Ukrainian naval drone attack.
The CPC exports mainly from Kazakhstan through Russia and the Black Sea terminal. Kazakhstan called the attack unacceptable.
Naval drones are unmanned fast boats loaded with explosives that sail towards their targets before detonating. They played a prominent role in Ukraine’s counteroffensive in the Black Sea, helping to push back Russia’s numerous fleet of warships.
The 274-meter-long tanker Kairos suffered an explosion and caught fire on Friday, November 28, while sailing from Egypt to Russia, Turkey’s Ministry of Transport reported. The crew was evacuated by rescue vessels while efforts to extinguish the fire continued, it added.
The Virat was reportedly hit about 35 nautical miles from the coast, further east in the Black Sea, the ministry stated. That vessel was attacked again on Saturday by unmanned boats, suffering minor damage to its starboard side above the waterline, the entity added.
He indicated that the vessel was in stable condition and the crew in good health.
Both the Kairos and the Virat are listed among the ships subject to sanctions imposed against Russia following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, according to LSEG data. Turkey expressed concern over the attacks, noting that the incidents occurred in its Exclusive Economic Zone and posed serious security risks.
Ankara is in contact with the relevant parties to prevent the war from spreading in the Black Sea and to protect the country’s economic interests and operations in the region, said the spokesperson of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Oncu Keceli, in a post on X.
The Ukrainian official did not specify when the attacks took place. There was no public comment from Russia.
