Moscow: A dramatic and explosive strike shook the Black Sea over the past 48 hours as unmanned Ukrainian naval drones targeted two oil tankers linked to Russia’s sanctions-evading “shadow fleet.” The vessels — Virat and Kairos — sustained heavy damage, triggering distress calls and raising fears of wider escalation in maritime routes long used by Moscow to covertly transport crude.
Ukraine has released footage of its drones destroying civilian tankers (not Russian) with civillian crew on the Black Sea
Despite the horrific environmental impact of this insanity, it opens a new front in this War, one Russia is now fully entitled to respond in kind to pic.twitter.com/gRRmYXo50a
— Chay Bowes (@BowesChay) November 29, 2025
Drone attack and distress call
The tanker Virat, already struck late Friday, was hit again early Saturday — about 35 nautical miles off Türkiye’s Black Sea coast — according to Turkish authorities. In a harrowing audio recording intercepted on open radio frequency, a crew member aboard Virat cried out: “This is VIRAT. Help needed! Drone attack! Mayday!”
The use of “drone attack” in the distress call refers not to conventional aerial drones but to unmanned sea drones — small, unmanned vessels laden with explosives.
Two tankers hit; Ukraine claims responsibility
Officials from Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said domestically built “Sea Baby” naval drones disabled both tankers, causing what they described as “critical damage” and effectively putting the vessels out of service.
The two ships are flagged to Gambia and have been listed by Western governments after being identified as part of a network used by Russia to circumvent sanctions by transporting crude under various flags and opaque ownership.
Kyiv claimed that the tankers could have carried oil worth close to $70 million — a significant blow to Russian oil revenues if such shipments are disrupted.
Aftermath and Turkish response
The tanker Kairos caught fire and required full evacuation of its 25-member crew, according to Turkish transport authorities. By contrast, Virat suffered only minor damage above the waterline; Turkish officials said the vessel was stable and the crew remained safe.
However, the fact that the strikes occurred within Turkey’s Exclusive Economic Zone triggered concern in Ankara. Turkish officials warned of “serious navigational risks” and said they were reaching out to relevant parties to prevent further escalation in Black Sea waters.
Tracking data reportedly showed Virat slowing down and altering course toward the Turkish coast after the attack.
Russia’s “shadow fleet” under growing pressure
Both Virat and Kairos belong to a wider fleet of ageing, lightly regulated tankers — often registered under flags of convenience and with murky ownership — used by Russia to quietly export oil despite sanctions imposed by the US, UK, EU, Canada and others after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
According to the SBU, the coordinated naval-drone strike forms part of a broader Kyiv strategy aimed at choking off the Kremlin’s oil revenue by targeting not only refineries and ports but the very transport network that moves crude at sea.
Wider escalation at sea
The tanker strikes come amid an intensifying campaign by Ukraine against Russian energy infrastructure: long-range drone and missile attacks on refineries, ports, and export terminals have ramped up in recent months.
In one such blow to the Kremlin’s energy exports, the Caspian Pipeline Consortium — which handles over 1% of global oil exports — confirmed suspension of operations after a Ukrainian drone damaged a mooring point at its Black Sea terminal in Russia.
As of now, there has been no public reaction from Moscow regarding the tanker attacks.
