Ukraine claims to have hit Russian 'shadow fleet' tanker

2025-11-29 20:50:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Ukrainian underwater drones have hit two tankers belonging to Russia's so-called shadow fleet in the Black Sea, according to an official in Ukraine's security services (SBU).

Ukraine claimed responsibility for the attacks after explosions hit the two ships on Friday and Saturday. A Ukrainian security source told CNN that Sea Baby naval drones were used in a joint operation by the SBU and the navy. There was no immediate comment from Russia.

Both tankers suffered severe damage, the source said, and were effectively put out of service. Russia uses hundreds of tankers, many of which sail under various flags of convenience, to transport its oil to customers in defiance of sanctions.

The Gambian-flagged tanker Virat was attacked again on Saturday, after first suffering damage on Friday, according to Turkey's Transport Ministry.

According to Turkish maritime authorities, there was minor damage above the waterline and no fire. The ship is located about 50 kilometers off the Turkish coast. Tracking data from the ship showed it was slowing down and turning toward the coast late Friday.

"There is no request from the personnel to abandon the ship," the Turkish Transport Ministry said, but a fire-fighting tugboat had been sent to the scene.

The Virat's destination was unclear. Shipping records showed it was waiting for orders in the Black Sea. It was sanctioned by the United States in January when it sailed under a different name, and by the United Kingdom and the European Union later this year.

On Friday, there was another explosion on a ship carrying Russian crude oil in a nearby part of the Black Sea. All 25 crew members aboard that tanker, the Gambian-flagged Kairos, were evacuated. Neither ship was in Turkish waters when it was hit.

The video showed Turkish tugboats battling a large fire aboard the ship about 30 miles off the Turkish coast. On Saturday, the Turkish Transport Ministry said a fire on the open deck of the Kairos had been extinguished.

The Kairos, a 275-meter-long, nearly 80,000-ton vessel, was sanctioned by the EU earlier this year and set sail from an Indian port earlier this month for the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk.

Earlier this year, several unexplained explosions occurred on ships carrying oil to Russia from the Black Sea./ CNA, translated by CNN