Ukraine attacks oil tanker in Black Sea, escalating conflict with Russia

Ukrainian naval drones hit two oil tankers as Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” sailed through the Black Sea, Ukrainian officials said.

Video verified by the BBC showed the aquatic drone accelerating into the ship amid the waves before exploding into a fireball, spewing black smoke into the air.

Turkish authorities named the targeted tankers Kairos and Virat, both of which flew Gambian flags. Both ships were attacked off the Turkish coast on Friday, and the Virat was reportedly attacked again on Saturday. No casualties were reported.

The attacks appear to be an escalation for Kiev as it seeks to hit Russia’s oil revenues, which are crucial to funding its war in Ukraine.

The two ships are reportedly part of Russia’s “shadow fleet,” a term that refers to the hundreds of tankers used by Russia to bypass Western sanctions following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The shadow fleet consists largely of aging tankers, many of which have unclear ownership or insurance.

The Kairos was attacked in the southwest area of ​​Houhai, and the Virat was attacked in the center area further east. Both ships are included in the list of sanctioned ships, according to London Stock Exchange data.

Sources told BBC Ukraine that the attack used a Sea Baby drone, a naval drone produced by Ukraine’s security service, known as the SBU.

Turkish authorities said they had been assisting the ships and released video showing two of Türkiye’s own ships trying to extinguish the fire on the Kairos.

The attacks were seen as a warning from Ukraine that ships transporting Russian oil in the Black Sea were at risk of direct attacks and not just Western sanctions.

Separately, a large consortium transporting oil from the Caspian Sea region said it had suspended loading at the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk after being attacked by an unmanned ship at night.

The Caspian Pipeline Alliance said the attack caused severe damage to a mooring. Russia and Kazakhstan are the company’s main stakeholders, and Western companies such as Exxon Mobil, Chevron and Shell also hold some stakes in the company.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that a delegation led by senior security official Rustem Umerov was traveling to the United States to continue talks on a deal to end the war.

Umerov will lead the Ukrainian delegation after former chief negotiator Andriy Yermak, Zelensky’s influential chief of staff, resigned following an anti-corruption investigation His apartment was searched on Friday.

A Ukrainian delegation is expected to meet with U.S. officials in Florida on Sunday. US President Donald Trump’s overseas envoy Steve Witkoff will hold talks in Moscow next week.