Empty oil tankers were traveling to Novorossiysk, a significant Russian Black Sea oil facility.
As Kyiv attempts to exert pressure on Russia’s massive oil industry, an official said on Saturday that Ukrainian military drones struck two sanctioned tankers in the Black Sea while they were en route to a Russian port to load up with oil intended for international markets.
The Security Service of Ukraine officer told Reuters that the two oil tankers, known as the Kairos and Virat, were empty and headed to Novorossiysk, a significant Russian Black Sea oil terminal.
The official posted video footage showing naval drones driving near massive tankers, followed by strong explosions that set the ships on fire.
“Video demonstrates that both tankers suffered severe damage and were essentially rendered inoperable after being struck. In a written statement, the official stated, “This will deal a significant blow to Russian oil transportation.”
Using long-range aerial drones to strike deep behind the front lines of Moscow’s full-scale war against Ukraine, Ukraine has been bombing Russian oil refineries for months. A distinct type of attack is represented by the attacks on the tankers.
Ukraine has repeatedly urged the West to act decisively against Russia’s alleged “shadow fleet,” which Kyiv claims is assisting Moscow in funding its conflict in Ukraine and exporting significant amounts of oil in spite of Western sanctions.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the fleet of hundreds of frequently outdated, unregulated ships gained notoriety by avoiding Western sanctions meant to lower Russia’s oil earnings.
Separately, the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), which manages over 1% of the world’s oil supply, announced on Saturday that it had suspended operations after a Ukrainian navy drone attack severely damaged a mooring at Russia’s Black Sea terminal.
CPC primarily exports from Kazakhstan to the Black Sea terminal and Russia. The incident was deemed undesirable by Kazakhstan.
Ships are subject to sanctions.
Naval drones are unmanned speedboats that are loaded with explosives and sail near their targets before going off. They were crucial to Ukraine’s Black Sea counteroffensive, which helped drive back Russia’s sizable naval fleet.
While traveling from Egypt to Russia on Friday, the 274-meter-long tanker Kairos experienced an explosion and caught fire, according to Turkey’s Transport Ministry. Rescue boats evacuated the crew as the fire was being put out, according to the report.
According to the ministry, the Virat was hit around 35 nautical miles offshore, further east in the Black Sea.
The Turkish ministry also said that unmanned vessels assaulted the Virat once more on Saturday morning, causing slight damage to its starboard side above the waterline. The ministry added that the crew was in good health and the ship was in a stable state.
According to LSEG data, the Kairos and Virat are both on a list of ships that are subject to sanctions imposed against Russia during its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The Ukrainian official did not specify the date of the strikes.
Russia did not make any public remarks.