Ukraine Attacks Russian Oil Tankers with Naval Drones
ISTANBUL — Ukrainian officials reported on Saturday that the country employed its homegrown naval drone, the Sea Baby, to strike two Russian oil tankers in the Black Sea.
The tankers, identified as the Kairos and the Virat, were said to be part of a “shadow fleet” used by Russia to bypass international sanctions. The attacks occurred in rapid succession near Turkey’s Black Sea coast late Friday afternoon.
This airstrike resulted in a search and rescue operation led by the Turkish coast guard, but thankfully, both crews were unharmed.
An official from Ukraine’s Security Service, speaking off the record due to the delicate nature of the situation, indicated that both tankers were destroyed at sea and shared footage of the operation. The official noted that these ships were subject to sanctions from Western nations, adding that Ukraine’s intelligence continued to actively disrupt Russia’s financial means to sustain its conflict against Ukraine.
Ukraine’s Navy reported that the Sea Baby drone managed to disable a vessel carrying approximately $70 million worth of oil, which hindered Russia’s attempts to circumvent sanctions, according to officials.
Earlier, Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu suggested that the attack could have involved landmines, missiles, and other types of drones. He emphasized that the incident took place in Turkey’s exclusive economic zone and reassured that Turkish authorities were collaborating to prevent future incidents and ensure safe navigation, although specific details were not provided.
Uraloglu mentioned that a fire erupted on the Gambian-flagged Kairos, which was still burning in an enclosed section of the ship on Saturday. Fortunately, all 25 crew members were successfully evacuated. Conversely, he noted that the Virat was not in flames and no evacuation was required, despite earlier reports of a fire in its engine room.
The captain of the Virat reportedly issued a distress call citing a “drone attack.”
The OpenSanctions database, which monitors entities involved in evading sanctions, stated that these vessels were part of a network created to sidestep restrictions imposed on Russia since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Throughout the conflict, Ukraine has successfully executed maritime assaults on Russian vessels, particularly utilizing explosive-laden naval drones, primarily within the northern Black Sea region.
Reports indicated that the Gambian-flagged Kairos caught fire roughly 52 kilometers off Turkey’s Kocaeli province while sailing empty from Egypt to the Russian port of Novorossiysk. Shortly afterward, maritime authorities indicated that the Virat had encountered a mishap while navigating about 35 nautical miles from Turkey.
The vessel Virat was noted to have been anchored near the Bosphorus on November 4, just a short distance from its current location. The last known position for Kairos was south of the Dardanelles, connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara.
According to the OpenSanctions database, the Virat was sanctioned by the U.S. in January, followed by similar actions from the European Union, Switzerland, the UK, and Canada. The Kairos received sanctions from the EU in July, with subsequent measures from the UK and Switzerland.
“Shadow tanker fleets continue to provide the Kremlin with billions of dollars, allowing them to evade sanctions, disguise their actions under different flags, and pose serious environmental hazards,” remarked the entry regarding Kairos.
OpenSanctions also noted that the Virat, built in 2018, exhibited “irregular and risky shipping practices” and had previously sailed under the flags of Barbados, Comoros, Liberia, and Panama. Similarly, Kairos, constructed in 2002, had flown under the flags of Panama, Greece, and Liberia at different times.
