Ukrainian Drones Target Russian Oil Tankers in Black Sea
Ukraine has launched a significant naval drone operation against Russia's so-called 'shadow fleet', successfully striking two oil tankers in the Black Sea. A Ukrainian security services official confirmed on Saturday that domestically produced Sea Baby naval drones targeted the vessels identified as the Kairos and Virat, both believed to be part of Russia's elaborate scheme to circumvent international sanctions.
Strikes Off Turkish Coast
The attacks occurred in quick succession off Turkey's Black Sea coast late on Friday afternoon. Turkish authorities confirmed the incidents took place within Turkey's exclusive economic zone, prompting immediate rescue operations by the Turkish coast guard. Officials reported that all crew members from both tankers were safely evacuated despite the severity of the attacks.
An anonymous Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the operations, provided video evidence showing the destruction of both tankers at sea. The official emphasised that these targeted vessels were under Western sanctions and represented Ukraine's ongoing strategy to 'curtail Russia's financial capabilities to wage war against Ukraine'.
Significant Financial Blow to Kremlin
The Sea Baby drone strikes disabled vessels capable of transporting oil worth nearly $70 million, dealing a substantial blow to Russia's attempts to bypass international restrictions. According to the OpenSanctions database, which tracks entities involved in sanctions evasion, both vessels form part of a shadow fleet used to evade restrictions imposed following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The Gambian-flagged Kairos caught fire approximately 28 nautical miles off the coast of Turkey's Kocaeli province while sailing empty from Egypt toward Russia's Novorossiysk port. Turkish Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu confirmed the fire continued burning in the vessel's enclosed areas on Saturday, with all 25 crew members safely evacuated.
The second tanker, Virat, was struck about 35 nautical miles off the Turkish coast. Although authorities initially reported a fire in its engine room, the vessel was not ablaze and no evacuation request was made. Notably, the captain of the Virat explicitly reported a 'drone attack' in a distress call.
Both tankers faced extensive international sanctions, with the United States sanctioning the Virat in January this year, followed by the European Union, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Canada. The EU similarly sanctioned the Kairos in July, with the UK and Switzerland following suit.
OpenSanctions describes these shadow tanker operations as providing 'multibillion-dollar revenues for the Kremlin bypassing sanctions', while also posing 'significant environmental threats'. The Virat, built in 2018, has previously used flags from Barbados, Comoros, Liberia and Panama in what the database characterises as 'irregular and high-risk shipping practices'.
This represents another successful Ukrainian naval strike against Russian shipping, continuing their strategy of using explosives-packed marine drones, though previous missions have largely been limited to the northern Black Sea waters.
