Ukrainian officials say their naval drones struck two Russian “shadow fleet” oil tankers as they moved through the Black Sea.
Verified BBC footage shows the drones racing across the waves before exploding against the vessels in bursts of fire and smoke.
Turkish authorities identified the targeted tankers as the Kairos and the Virat, both sailing under the Gambian flag, and noted that the Virat was reportedly hit a second time the following day. No casualties were reported from the strikes.
The attacks signal a sharper effort by Kyiv to undermine Russia’s vital oil revenue used to sustain its war in Ukraine. The tankers are believed to belong to Russia’s “shadow fleet,” a network of older, obscurely owned ships designed to evade Western sanctions imposed after the 2022 invasion.