Tanker attacked in Black Sea, days after Ukraine hit 2 Russian ‘shadow fleet’ ships
Turkey says ship attacked inside territorial waters, crew unharmed; Erdogan says Black Sea attacks ‘threaten the safety of navigation’; Ukraine yet to claim responsibility
A tanker carrying sunflower oil from Russia to Georgia was attacked in the Black Sea, the Turkish maritime authority said Tuesday, days after two Russian “shadow fleet” oil tankers were attacked by Ukrainian naval drones.
The Turkish Directorate General of Maritime Affairs said the MIDVOLGA-2 came under attack about 130 kilometers (80 miles) off the Turkish coast. The 13 crew members were unharmed and the vessel has not requested assistance.
It was heading toward the Turkish port of Sinop, the maritime authority said in a statement on X.
The maritime website VesselFinder lists the Midvolga 2 as an “oil/chemical tanker.”
It did not give an updated position for the vessel, whose location was last listed on November 21 when it was said to be traveling from the Turkish port of Samsun to Russia’s Rostov-on-Don.
On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke out against Ukraine’s drone attack on two Russian vessels, the Kairos and Virat, saying it signaled a “worrying escalation” of the conflict.
“We cannot condone these attacks, which threaten navigational safety, life, and the environment, especially in our own exclusive zone,” Erdogan said in a televised address. “We are issuing the necessary warnings to all parties regarding such situations.”
“The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has clearly reached a stage where it threatens the safety of navigation in the Black Sea,” he added.
Friday’s attacks against the Kairos and Virat occurred inside Turkey’s exclusive economic zone. Crew members on board both vessels were reported to be safe.
A Ukrainian security source said that Kyiv was responsible for the attacks on the two tankers, which it believed were covertly transporting sanctioned Russian oil.
“Modernized Sea Baby naval drones successfully targeted the vessels,” a source in Ukraine’s SBU security service told AFP. It shared a video that purported to show sea drones gliding toward the two ships, before sparking explosions.
????????⚓ Ukraine hits Russian tankers KAIROS & VIRAT in the Black Sea
Sea drones struck both vessels north of the Bosphorus. Critical damage reported, ships out of use. Turkish Coast Guard rescued the crews. #UkraineWar #BlackSea #SeaDrones pic.twitter.com/P0EcGu3SqZ— Conflicthistory and News (@chc_and_news) November 29, 2025
The OpenSanctions database, which tracks people or organizations involved in sanctions evasion, describes the vessels as part of a 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 previously largely been limited to the waters of the northern Black Sea.
The Times of Israel Community.