An unmanned sea drone slammed into a Russian shadow-fleet oil tanker in the Black Sea off Turkey’s coast in the early hours of Saturday, escalating Kyiv’s campaign against vessels accused of secretly ferrying sanctioned Russian crude.
Turkey’s transport ministry confirmed the incident, saying the tanker Virat was struck for the second time in 24 hours, a video of which has gone viral on the internet.
Claiming responsibility for the attack, Ukraine boasted that “modernised Sea Baby” naval drones were deployed in the attack, the latest in a string of unmanned maritime operations that have helped Kyiv challenge Russian control of the Black Sea.
According to Ankara, the Virat, already believed to have been hit by unmanned maritime vehicles around 35 nautical miles off Turkey’s Black Sea coast on Friday, issued a fresh distress call on Saturday morning.
Open-frequency radio recordings captured the moment panic spread through the crew: “This is VIRAT. Help needed! Drone attack! Mayday!” the ship’s operators shouted.
"This is VIRAT. Help needed! Drone attack! Mayday!"
— Victor vicktop55 commentary (@vick55top) November 28, 2025
The crew of the tanker VIRAT reported a drone attack on an open frequency. Clearly, they weren't referring to regular drones, but to unmanned boats.
As a reminder, the tankers VIRAT and KAIROS were "exposed to external… pic.twitter.com/cQ7oXvljZ7
Turkey’s transport ministry later confirmed on X that the tanker suffered “minor damage” to its starboard side but that all 20 crew members were unharmed. The vessel was one of two tankers reportedly attacked on Friday, the other being the Kairos.
Sea drones ‘knocked out’ the tankers: Ukraine
A Ukrainian security official told AFP that Kyiv had deliberately targeted both the Virat and the Kairos, accusing them of serving Russia’s covert “shadow fleet” that moves sanctioned oil in defiance of Western embargoes.
According to the official, explosive-laden Sea Baby drones scored “critical hits”, effectively taking both ships out of service. Ukraine’s SBU circulated video footage said to show the drones skimming across the waves before slamming into the tankers.
Ukraine has repeatedly deployed naval drones to strike Russian military and commercial vessels, though such attacks have typically taken place in the northern Black Sea. Operations this deep into Turkish waters mark a notable escalation.
Fires, explosions and multiple distress calls
The Kairos was the first to sound alarm on Friday afternoon, reporting an explosion before its 25-member crew was evacuated as a fire tore through the ship. It was located roughly 100 km east of the Bosphorus entrance at the time.
Hours later, the Virat reported heavy smoke in its engine room after another blast, this one taking place roughly 400 km farther east, according to the VesselFinder tracking platform.
Turkey’s Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said initial reports suggested the Kairos may have struck a naval mine. But after the second explosion on the Virat, officials began considering “external interference”.
“Early indications point to causes such as a mine, a missile, a marine vessel or a drone,” Uraloğlu told NTV, noting that Turkish authorities had not yet drawn final conclusions.
Sanctioned ‘shadow fleet’ vessels
Both the Virat and the Kairos, which operate under a Gambian flag, are part of the network of ships sanctioned by the West for moving Russian crude outside official channels. The U.S. sanctioned the Virat in January, followed by the EU, Switzerland, Canada and the UK. The Kairos was hit by EU sanctions in July, with Britain and Switzerland later mirroring the move.
Ukraine has frequently accused Russia of using such tankers to evade international restrictions by transporting oil through murky ownership structures and offshore registries.
The pair of incidents come at a time when Russia has intensified strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, and Kyiv has sought to retaliate with asymmetric warfare, especially through its fast-evolving fleet of sea drones.
