Ukraine introduces new tactics in the Black Sea

On November 29, a number of media outlets reported that on the evening of Friday, November 28, two tankers of the Russian "shadow fleet" exploded in the Black Sea, about 40 km off the coast of the Turkish province of Kocaeli.

The Hromadske media outlet reported, citing an informed source in the Security Service of Ukraine.

The report says that Sea Baby maritime drones of the Security Service of Ukraine hit the sanctioned oil tankers KAIRO and VIRAT, which belong to the Russian "shadow fleet," in the Black Sea. It was a joint operation of the SBU's 13th Main Military Counterintelligence Directorate and the Ukrainian Navy.

The Turkish Ministry of Transport reported a severe fire on the 274-meter tanker Kairos, which was en route from Egypt to a Russian port. The crew was evacuated from the ship. NTV reported that Turkish rescuers were extinguishing the fire all night.

PHOTO: Bloomberg

The second tanker Virat was also heading to Russia. After the explosion, heavy smoke occurred in the ship's engine room, but in this case, 20 crew members were not evacuated, according to the statement. Virat's captain said that the tanker "was attacked by drones."

"On the morning of November 29, the Virat was attacked again," the Turkish Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure and local NTV reported. The Turkish ministry said that the vessel sustained "minor damage to the starboard side". Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloglu told reporters that after the fire on the Kairos is extinguished, both vessels will be towed to the shore.

Both tankers were carrying no oil. However, they were critically damaged and have been effectively taken out of service, the SBU source said. "This has dealt a serious blow to Russian oil transportation," the source said.

Ukraine's new tactics

This is probably how Ukraine began to cut off the sea routes of the Russian "shadow" fleet in the Black Sea to deprive Russia of revenues from oil and oil products exports. This is a development of Ukraine's tactics aimed at reducing Russian exports of oil and oil products. Prior to this, Kyiv struck at Russian terminals and refineries, which affected Russia's supply to international markets.

Reuters notes that Ukraine has repeatedly called on the West to take real action against Russia's so-called "shadow fleet," which, according to the Ukrainian government, helps Russia export large volumes of oil and finance the war in Ukraine despite Western sanctions.

The fleet of hundreds of often aging, unregulated vessels came to light after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, circumventing Western sanctions aimed at reducing Moscow's oil revenues.

There have been previous cases of merchant ships being hit by drifting mines in the Black Sea, but no drone strikes on oil tankers in the southern Black Sea have been reported so far. The Ukrainian military has been focused on striking oil terminals in the Black Sea, as well as refineries in Russia. Both have had a negative impact on Russian fuel exports. Exports of Russian petroleum products by sea in November fell to their lowest level since the war began.

"The SBU continues to take active steps to cut Russia's financial capabilities to wage war against Ukraine. Sea Baby marine drones have disabled vessels that could carry almost $70 million worth of oil and helped the Kremlin to circumvent international sanctions," a source from the SBU told hromadske.

Also on Saturday night, Ukraine continued its attacks on Russian offshore oil infrastructure. The terminal of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) in Novorossiysk was attacked and disabled by unmanned boats. More than 80% of Kazakh oil is exported through Novorossiysk. As a result, one of the three remote mooring devices from which oil is loaded onto sea tankers was damaged and cannot be repaired. The Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan said it would redirect oil exports via alternative routes.

Vessels on the sanctions list

Media reports indicate that both vessels were flying the Gambian flag but were excluded from the country's ship register for fraudulent certificates. Virat is sanctioned by the EU, Canada, the UK, Switzerland and the US, while Kairos is sanctioned by the EU, the UK and Switzerland.

International reaction

Turkey has expressed concern over the attacks, saying that the incidents occurred in its exclusive economic zone and pose serious security risks.

Ankara is in contact with the relevant parties to prevent the spread of war in the Black Sea and to protect the country's economic interests and operations in the region, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Oncu Keceli said in a post on X.

The Ukrainian official did not specify when the Ukrainian strikes took place.

There was no public comment from Russia.

Володимир Шкаєв