Ukraine escalates its conflict with Russia by attacking tankers in the Black Sea
Ukraine escalates its conflict with Russia by attacking tankers in the Black Sea.
According to Ukrainian officials, two oil tankers from Russia's alleged "shadow fleet" were struck by Ukrainian naval drones while they were passing through the Black Sea.
Waterborne drones are shown flying through the waves and onto the vessels in footage that the BBC has authenticated. The drones then explode into a ball of flame, spewing black smoke into the air.
Turkish authorities identified the targeted tankers as the Gambia-flagged Kairos and Virat. The Virat was reportedly attacked again on Saturday after both were struck off the coast of Turkey on Friday. There were no recorded casualties.
The two vessels are allegedly a part of Russia's "shadow fleet," which is a term used to describe the hundreds of tankers Russia used to get under Western sanctions following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The bulk of the shadow fleet consists of old tankers, many of which have unclear ownership or insurance.
The Virat was hit in a central region farther east, while the Kairos was hit in the Black Sea's southwest. Data from the London Stock Exchange indicates that both are on a list of ships that are subject to penalties.
The attack made use of Sea Baby drones, a kind of naval drone manufactured by the SBU, Ukraine's security agency.
In addition to releasing video of two Turkish boats attempting to put out the fire on the Kairos, Turkish authorities claimed to have been helping the ships.
Ukraine interprets the strikes as a warning that ships transporting Russian oil in the Black Sea may be directly attacked in addition to being subject to Western sanctions.
Separately, following an overnight attack by unmanned boats, a significant consortium that transports oil from the Caspian region announced that it had halted loading in the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk.
According to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, the attack seriously damaged a mooring point. The company, which is also partially owned by Western companies including Exxon Mobil, Chevron, and Shell, has significant stakes in Russia and Kazakhstan.
Aibek Smadiyarov, the foreign minister of Kazakhstan, claimed the incident was the third of its type and expressed his outrage.
He noted that guaranteeing a "stable and uninterrupted" energy supply was especially important to Kazakhstan.
Smadiyarov further called on Kyiv "to take concrete measures to prevent the recurrence of such situations" because the incident had damaged relations between his nation and Ukraine.
In the meantime, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Saturday that a delegation headed by senior security officer Rustem Umerov was en route to the United States to continue negotiations on a cease-fire.
The former senior negotiator, Zelensky's powerful chief of staff Andriy Yermak, resigned after anti-corruption investigators searched his flat on Friday, and Umerov will now head the Ukrainian delegation.
On Sunday, the Ukrainian team is scheduled to meet with US officials in Florida. Next week, US President Donald Trump's overseas ambassador, Steve Witkoff, will meet in Moscow.
Post a Comment