Brutal Ukraine drone attacks on Russian ‘shadow fleet’ tankers condemned | World | News
Brutal Ukrainian drone Attacks on two Russian “shadow fleet” oil tankers in the Black Sea condemned Türkiye. Kiev said it was using the Navy’s Sea Baby unmanned aerial vehicles. smash tankers It happened in rapid succession late Friday afternoon off Türkiye’s Black Sea coast. The crew on both ships were reported to be safe.
In the video published on social media by the Ukrainian security service, one of the drones is seen moving rapidly towards a ship and then cuts to images showing a large explosion and fireball towards the stern of a ship. The OpenSanctions database, which tracks individuals or organizations involved in sanctions evasion, states that the ships are part of a fleet of vessels used to evade sanctions imposed on Russia after a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Öncü Keçeli said that the attacks on the Kairos and Virat ships took place within the country’s exclusive economic zone and “pose serious risks to navigation, life, property and environmental safety in the region.”
Keçeli added that Türkiye is holding talks with “relevant parties” in order to prevent the war in Ukraine from spreading to the Black Sea and to protect Türkiye’s economic interests.
Carnegie Endowment experts define Türkiye as the “guardian” of the Black Sea. Ankara’s naval capacity means it can protect Ukrainian shipping but also respect Russia’s rights in the same sea.
Türkiye also assumed the role of mediator between Russia and Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin recently discussed the US proposal to end the war in Ukraine with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Erdogan told Putin that Türkiye was ready to support the peace process and suggested Istanbul for talks.
An official from Ukraine’s SBU security service, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the two tankers targeted on Friday had been sanctioned by the West. They added that Ukrainian intelligence continues to “take active steps to constrain Russia’s financial capacity to wage war against Ukraine.”
Sea Baby navy drones disabled ships capable of carrying oil worth about £52.8 million ($70 million), hindering Russia’s efforts to circumvent international sanctions, the official said.
Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said that the Gambian-flagged Kairos caught fire, but all 25 crew members were evacuated safely. He added that Virat was not on fire and no evacuation request was made.
According to the OpenSanctions website, the US imposed sanctions on Virat in January this year, followed by the UK, European Union, Switzerland and Canada. Similarly, the EU imposed sanctions on Kairos in July this year, followed by the UK and Switzerland.
Russia’s shadow fleet is a secret network of ships operated by Russians to evade oil sanctions. Ukraine has carried out a number of successful naval attacks against Russian ships during the war, primarily using naval drones loaded with explosives. However, Ukrainian missions were largely limited to the waters of the Northern Black Sea.
