Ukrainian naval drones struck two sanctioned Russian oil tankers in the Black Sea on November 29, marking a significant escalation in Kyiv’s campaign to disrupt Moscow’s shadow fleet and evade sanctions, an official from Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) confirmed Saturday.
The Sea Baby uncrewed surface vessels—packed with explosives—targeted the empty tankers Kairos (274 meters, Gambian-flagged) and Virat in quick succession off Turkey’s Black Sea coast, en route to Russia’s Novorossiysk oil terminal to load cargo worth nearly $70 million. Video footage released by the SBU showed the drones racing toward the hulking vessels, followed by powerful blasts igniting fires. Crews were safely evacuated by the Turkish Coast Guard, with no casualties reported.
Russian-flagged tanker carrying sunflower oil from Russia to Georgia was attacked roughly 129km off Turkish coast in Black Sea with 13 crew members on board – Türkiye’s maritime affairs directorate pic.twitter.com/HNA0e5OjnA
— TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) December 2, 2025
The strikes, the first on non-military, non-Russian-flagged vessels in international waters, underscore Ukraine’s strategy to choke Russia’s oil revenues—funding its war machine despite G7 sanctions capping crude at $60/barrel. The shadow fleet—aged tankers with obscure ownership—circumvents the price cap, but Ukraine’s Sea Baby drones have now disabled vessels capable of hauling $70 million in oil.
The attacks immediately spiked war risk insurance rates: for seven-day voyages to Ukrainian ports, premiums rose from 0.4% to 0.5% of vessel value; for Russian ports, from 0.6% to 0.65–0.8%, per shipping and insurance sources. Munro Anderson of Vessel Protect noted: “Ukrainian activity increases the probability of reciprocal Russian action, creating a more even risk gradient across trades.”
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned attacks on commercial ships as “unacceptable,” warning all parties, while Turkish authorities launched rescue operations for the crews. Ukraine’s naval analyst Andrii Ryzhenko noted this as the first strike on non-Russian-flagged vessels in international waters, unlikely to provoke Russian retaliation against NATO states like Turkey or Romania.
The Caspian Pipeline Consortium halted operations after a separate Ukrainian drone damaged Novorossiysk’s mooring point, disrupting 1% of global oil flows. As underwriters price in heightened risks, the Black Sea—vital for grain, oil, and products—faces growing uncertainty, with at least seven mysterious tanker blasts since December 2024.
