Ukraine has reportedly deployed its domestically produced Sea Baby naval drones to target two Russian oil tankers in the Black Sea, a Ukrainian security services official confirmed on Saturday.
The vessels, identified as the Kairos and Virat, are believed to be part of Russia’s "shadow fleet" used to circumvent international sanctions.
The strikes occurred in quick succession off Turkey’s Black Sea coast late Friday afternoon. Following the incidents, the Turkish coast guard initiated rescue operations, with reports indicating that all crew members on both tankers were safe.
An anonymous SBU official, citing the sensitive nature of the operations, provided video footage purporting to show the destruction of the two tankers at sea.
The official stated that the targeted tankers were under Western sanctions, emphasising Ukraine's ongoing efforts to "curtail Russia's financial capabilities to wage war against Ukraine."
It was claimed that the Sea Baby drones had disabled vessels capable of transporting oil worth nearly $70 million, thereby impeding Russia's attempts to bypass international restrictions.
Earlier, Turkey's Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu had suggested that the tankers might have been struck by mines, missiles, a marine vessel, or a drone.
The incidents took place within Turkey’s exclusive economic zone, he said, noting that Turkish authorities were in contact with their counterparts to prevent a recurrence and to ensure navigational safety. He did not provide further details.
Uraloglu said the Gambian-flagged Kairos had caught fire, which was continuing in the vessel’s enclosed areas on Saturday. All 25 crews were safely evacuated.
The Virat, however, was not ablaze and no evacuation request was made, he added. Authorities had earlier reported a fire in the Virat’s engine room.
He minister the captain of the Virat tanker had issued a distress call over “a drone attack.”
Ukraine has previously targeted Russian shipping
The OpenSanctions database, which tracks people or organizations involved in sanctions evasion, describes the vessels as part of a shadow fleet of ships used to evade sanctions imposed on Russia following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Ukraine has carried out successful naval strikes against Russian shipping during the war, particularly using explosives-packed marine drones.
However, Ukrainian missions have largely been limited to the waters of the northern Black Sea.
Officials said the Gambian-flagged Kairos caught fire in the Black Sea approximately 28 nautical miles (52 kilometers) off the coast of Turkey’s Kocaeli province. It was sailing empty from Egypt toward Russia’s Novorossiysk port.
Shortly after, the maritime authority reported that a second tanker, Virat, was “struck” while sailing in the Black Sea about 35 nautical miles (64 kilometers) off the Turkish coast.
Both tankers were under sanctions
The VesselFinder website showed the Virat was anchored north of the Bosphorus, not far from its current position, on 4 November. The Kairos’ last position was on 26 November south of the Dardanelles Strait connecting the Aegean Sea and the Sea of Marmara.
The United States sanctioned the Virat in January this year, followed by the European Union, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Canada, according to the OpenSanctions website.
Similarly, the EU sanctioned the Kairos in July this year, followed by the UK and Switzerland.
“The shadow tanker fleet continues to provide multibillion-dollar revenues for the Kremlin bypassing sanctions, disguising its activities under the flags of third countries, using complex schemes to conceal owners and poses significant environmental threats,” OpenSanctions says in its website entry on the Kairos.
The Virat, built in 2018, uses “irregular and high-risk shipping practices” and has previously sailed under the flags of Barbados, Comoros, Liberia and Panama, OpenSanctions says.
