Ukraine announced the successful attack on two ships of the so-called Russian"ghost fleet" in the Black Sea using naval drones, sources from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) told the Ukrinform news agency on Saturday.
The systems used were Sea Baby naval drones, known as “Sea Baby,” according to the same source, which attributed the joint operation to the SBU and the Ukrainian Navy. The action took place in the Black Sea, amid rising tensions in the region.
The dissemination of this attack comes after reports from the Turkish government about the attack on the Gambian-flagged oil tanker Virat and the incident involving the Kairos, both of which occurred in the same area.
The Turkish government stated that the Kairos crew was evacuated without any reported casualties and that the incidents occurred as a result of an"external factor".
According to Ukrinform, neither of the attacked vessels —the Kairos and the Virat— were carrying hydrocarbon cargo and both were headed to the Russian coastal city of Novorossiysk, located about 200 kilometers east of the Crimean Peninsula, territory annexed by Russia since 2014.
An SBU source, quoted by Ukrinform, explained: “The SBU continues to take active measures to reduce Russia’s financial capacity to wage war against Ukraine.”
The group of ships that Moscow uses to evade international sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine is known as the"ghost fleet," a conflict that will reach four years in February if no changes are registered.
The Sea Baby, developed by the SBU since 2022, has undergone several adaptations and evolutions in its models, establishing itself as one of the main naval drones used by Ukraine. These systems allow for the engagement of high-value strategic maritime targets.
"The Virat, which was previously reported to have been attacked by unmanned maritime vehicles approximately 35 nautical miles off the coast of the Black Sea, was attacked again by unmanned maritime vehicles early this morning," Turkey's Transport Ministry said earlier on Saturday.
He added that the tanker only suffered minor damage to its starboard side and that none of the 20 crew members were injured.
On Friday night, Turkey's Ministry of Transport reported that the two oil tankers had experienced explosions, but there were no casualties, stating that they had been hit in Turkish waters, but without specifying the cause of the explosions.
The ministry's statement was the first official confirmation that the Virat was attacked by drones.
Turkey reported that the Kairos was headed to the port of Novorossiysk on the Black Sea, where a major Russian oil terminal suspended operations early Saturday after being attacked by a naval drone, according to the consortium that owns the terminal.
The terminal, part of which suffered “significant damage,” is an important transportation route for Kazakh oil, according to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), without specifying who was responsible for the attack.
The explosion struck the Kairos at around 3:00 p.m. GMT on Friday, and rescuers evacuated its 25 crew members after a fire broke out. At the time, it was located about 100 kilometers (60 miles) east of the point where the Bosphorus Strait opens into the Black Sea, authorities said.
The Virat was hit later. At that time, it was about 400 kilometers further east, according to the tracking website VesselFinder. Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said both tankers suffered “explosions,” telling the private broadcaster NTV on Friday night that the tankers could have been hit by a mine, a rocket, or a drone.
“An external impact means the vessel was hit by a mine, a rocket or similar projectile, or perhaps by a drone or an unmanned underwater vehicle. These are the first things that come to mind,” he stated.
Flying the Gambian flag, under sanctions
In a publication on X, the Directorate of Maritime Affairs indicated that the Kairos was heading to Novorossiysk, Russia, when it reported an “external impact that caused a fire 28 nautical miles” off the Turkish coast.
It released dramatic images of flames and thick black smoke billowing from the vessel, with the fire still burning some five hours later. Management later stated that the Virat had reported being struck approximately 35 nautical miles offshore, adding that all 20 crew members were unharmed, but that thick smoke was detected in the engine room, although those on board did not request evacuation.
Both tankers, which fly the Gambian flag, according to the VesselFinder website, are subject to Western sanctions for transporting oil from Russian ports, defying the embargo imposed after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, both sides have laid sea mines to protect their coastlines. Many have been located and destroyed in the Black Sea, but others have drifted, mainly due to storms, endangering navigation.
In response, Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania, NATO members and all Black Sea coastal states, established the Black Sea Mine Countermeasures Naval Group (MCM Black Sea) in 2024 to oversee mine clearance operations.
