Ukrainian naval drones hit two oil tankers from Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” as they traveled through the Black Sea, Ukrainian officials have said.
Footage verified by the BBC shows the waterborne drones speeding through the waves to enter the ships, before exploding in a ball of flame and sending black smoke into the air.
The targeted tankers were named Kairos and Viraat by Turkish authorities, both of which were headed for Gambia. The two collided off the Turkish coast on Friday, with Virat reportedly colliding again on Saturday. There is no information about any casualty.
The attacks appear to be an escalation by Kiev as it seeks to influence Russia’s oil revenues, which are vital to funding its war in Ukraine.
Both ships are reportedly part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” – a term that refers to hundreds of tankers used by Russia to bypass Western sanctions imposed following a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The shadow fleet is largely made up of older tankers, many of which have unclear ownership or insurance.
Kairos was attacked in the south-west area of the Black Sea and Virat was attacked in the central area in the east. Both are on the list of vessels subject to sanctions, according to London Stock Exchange data.
The attack used a Sea Baby drone – a type of naval drone manufactured by Ukraine’s security services, known as the SBU.
Turkish officials said they were assisting the ships, and released footage showing two Turkish boats trying to extinguish the fire in Kairos.
The attacks are being seen as a warning by Ukraine, which says ships carrying Russian oil in the Black Sea are at risk not only of Western sanctions but also direct attack.
Separately, a major consortium that transports oil from the Caspian region said it had suspended loading at the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk after an attack by unmanned boats overnight.
The Caspian Pipeline Consortium said the attack caused significant damage to an anchorage site. Russia and Kazakhstan are major stakeholders in the company, which is also partly owned by Western companies including Exxon Mobil, Chevron and Shell.
Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Aibek Smadirov expressed his outrage over the attack, saying it was the third attack of its kind.
He said Kazakhstan attaches special importance to ensuring “stable and uninterrupted” energy supplies.
Smadirov said the incident had damaged relations between his country and Ukraine, calling on Kyiv to “take concrete measures to prevent the recurrence of such situations.”
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that a delegation led by top security official Rustam Umerov was heading to the United States to continue talks on an agreement to end the war.
Umerov is set to lead the Ukrainian delegation after the previous chief negotiator, Zelensky’s influential chief of staff Andriy Yermak, resigned on Friday after his apartment was searched by anti-corruption detectives.
The Ukrainian delegation is expected to meet US officials in Florida on Sunday. US President Donald Trump’s foreign envoy Steve Witkoff will hold talks in Moscow next week.
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