Ukraine Claims Hit On Russian ‘Shadow Fleet’ Black Sea Tankers

Ukraine’s security service claimed strikes on two ocean-going tankers sanctioned for carrying Russian oil, which were hit by blasts off Turkey’s Black Sea coast over the past day.  

Sea Baby naval drones operated by the Security Service of Ukraine, or SBU, carried out the attacks, a person familiar with the operation, who declined to be identified because the information isn’t public, told Bloomberg. 

The attacks were aimed at crimping Russia’s ability to wage war against Ukraine, the person said, adding that the two tankers were able to carry about $70 million worth of oil. Both were sailing empty at the time of the strikes. 

The first tanker, the 900-foot (274-meter) Kairos, took on water after an explosion late Friday, according to a local port agent report. The second, the Virat, was also struck near Turkey’s coastline and was billowing smoke after a near-simultaneous attack. The vessel was struck for a second time early Saturday. 

The Kairos and Virat are among hundreds of vessels amassed to help keep Russian oil moving after it invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Kairos is sanctioned by the UK and European Union, while Virat has been designated by the US and EU.

It isn’t the first time ships linked to Moscow have suffered explosions this year; a spate of blasts in early 2025 hit merchant ships with a history of calling at Russian ports. 

“Both ships were in our territorial waters,” CNNTurk cited Turkey’s Transportation Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu as saying. “Initial information indicates an external intervention,” the minister said, without elaborating.

Spain’s navy, which issues navigational warnings in the region, says there’s also a significant risk posed by floating mines in parts of the Black Sea. 

Kairos is a Suezmax-class vessel whose previous voyage was from the Russian port of Novorossiysk to Paradip in India, hauling Moscow’s flagship crude grade Urals. It was heading back to the Russian port to load its next cargo at the time of the incident, according to vessel tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. 

The Virat appears to have been idling in the western part of the Black Sea for most of the year after appearing on a US Office of Foreign Assets Control blacklist on Jan. 10. 

The managers of both ships, as listed on the international safety database Equasis, didn’t respond to calls and emails requesting comment. 

The Bosphorus Strait, a key trade artery for commodities shipments including Russian oil, remains open. The Kairos sails under the flag of Gambia, the agent said. Virat doesn’t have a flag listed on Equasis.