Two Russian tankers, Virat and Kairos, were attacked by an unmanned vessel on Saturday in the Black Sea, the Turkish government said. One of the ships had also been struck on Friday. The explosions rocked the vessels near the Turkish coastline. A video was shared by a crew member aboard the Virat tanker. The attack was carried out by Ukraine, according to the news agency AFP.
Ukraine reportedly believed the vessels were transporting sanctioned Russian oil in secrecy. “Modernised Sea Baby naval drones successfully targeted the vessels,” AFP reported, citing a source in the Ukrainian security service.
Rescue teams first received warnings suggesting the tanker Kairos might have struck a mine, before reports emerged of an explosion aboard the Virat, Turkish transport and infrastructure minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said speaking to the media.
“Our crews confirm explosions on the other ship, likely caused by external interference. Possibilities include a mine, missile, marine vessel, or drone, but we lack definitive confirmation,” Uraloglu said.
The explosion struck the Kairos at around 1500 GMT on Friday, prompting rescuers to evacuate all 25 crew members after a fire broke out. Officials said the vessel was located roughly 100 kilometres east of the point where the Bosphorus Strait opens into the Black Sea. Then Virat was attacked, located about 400 kilometres further east, according to the VesselFinder tracking site.
