Ukrainian Navy drones Two oil tankers from the Kremlin’s “ghost fleet” were attacked in the Black Sea When they were heading to a Russian port to load crude oil destined for foreign markets, an official from the security service in Kiev said on Saturday. … . This appears to be an attempt by Volodymyr Zelensky’s government to increase pressure on the industry.
This public employee told Reuters that the two ships, Kairos and Firat, were empty and sailing towards Novorossiysk, an important Russian oil terminal in the Black Sea. In the video images shared by the official, naval drones can be seen speeding towards the huge ships, Followed by powerful explosions that caused fires.
The video shows that the two tankers were severely damaged after being bombed, and were taken out of service. That means “A severe blow to Russian oil transportation”The official said in a written statement.
Kiev has been attacking Russian oil refineries for months with long-range drones to strike them far from the front lines of the war, but… This attack against ships is a new strategy. Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly called on the West to take real action against the Kremlin’s so-called “ghost fleet,” which Ukraine says helps Moscow export large amounts of crude oil and finance itself in the conflict.
A fleet of hundreds of Russian ships, often old and disorganized, emerged after the invasion of Ukraine due to… It evaded Western sanctions Aiming to reduce Moscow’s oil revenues.
On the other hand, the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), which manages more than 1% of the world’s crude oil, announced on Saturday that… Its operations have been suspended After a pier at the Russian Black Sea station was severely damaged by a Ukrainian Navy drone attack.
Ships on the sanctions list
Marine drones are unmanned speedboats loaded with explosives that sail toward their targets before exploding. They played a prominent role in Ukraine’s counteroffensive in the Black Sea, helping to repel Russia’s massive fleet of warships.
The Kairos tanker is 274 meters long It suffered an explosion and caught fire on Friday While it was on its way from Egypt to Russia, according to the Turkish Ministry of Transport. The crew was evacuated by rescue ships while efforts to extinguish the fire continued.
On the other hand, the ship Virat was hit about 35 nautical miles from the coast, east of the Black Sea. He was attacked again on Saturday morning It was attacked by unmanned ships and suffered minor damage to its right side above the waterline, according to the Turkish Ministry as well, which added that the ship is in stable condition and that the crew is in good health.
Both Kairos and Virat appear in a list Ships subject to sanctions imposed on Russia After its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, according to LSEG data. The Ukrainian official did not say when the attacks occurred, and Russia did not make any public comment on the matter.