Russian Oil Tanker Struck In Aerial Attack Hundreds Of Miles From Ukraine
A Russian-owned oil tanker was attacked in the Black Sea about 80 miles north of the Turkish city of Sinop, according to Turkish and Russian authorities. The strike was “highly likely” carried out by aerial drones, according to the Ambrey maritime security firm. The attack on the Midvolga-2 was the third against Russian-connected ships in the Black Sea in the past three days and came a day after Turkish President Recep Erdogan issued a stark warning that the war in Ukraine was spilling over and endangering navigation.
While Ukrainian media have speculated that the Midvolga-2 was hit by long-range Ukrainian drones, Kyiv denied any involvement, which you can read more about later in this story. The incident took place about 340 miles from Ukrainian-held territory.
The Midvolga-2 was sailing from Russia to Georgia loaded with sunflower oil when it was struck, the Turkish Directorate General of Maritime Affairs (TDGMA) stated on X. The directorate added that all 13 crew were unharmed and did not request help. The ship was headed back toward Sinop under its own power.
TDGMA did not say what struck the ship or who was behind the attack. The Russian Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transport (Rosmorrechflot) confirmed the attack and said it was carried out by drones, according to Russian official media.
Ambrey said its analysis of what struck the Midvolga-2 is based on a review of images that emerged showing the aftermath of the incident. You can see pictures of the damage, including a hole punched into the roof of the bridge, shrapnel holes and what appears to be the remains of a drone, in the following social media posts.
“The imagery showed that this was highly likely an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attack,” Ambrey said in a Priority-1 alert issued when there are concerns about an immediate threat to life. “The bridge of the vessel was likely struck on the port side. The deck of the vessel showed a large number of shrapnel impacts.”
The Ukrainian Defense Express outlet suggested the attack was carried out by a Ukrainian Lyuty-196 long-range drone.
“Thus, with the help of these ‘deepstrike’ drones, the Russian tanker Midvolga-2 was attacked approximately 150 km from Yalta, which was determined by the wreckage on board,” the outlet noted. “As a result, it received some damage, but was able to head to the Turkish Sinop, which is located near the incident site, under its own power.”
In order for one of Ukraine’s long-range strike drones to attack a moving target at this range would require some type of dynamic guidance, likely with a man-in-the-loop, although autonomous control is on the horizon. Ukraine doesn’t have that, generally speaking, on its long-range one-way attack drones, they are limited to striking static targets. A nearby ship with a controller onboard could have ‘picked-up’ manual control of the drone as it approached the target area. We have also seen indications that equipping these drones with satellite terminals that could allow for this kind of control is an ongoing initiative, but how widespread their use is isn’t clear. It is also possible that the attack was launched from much closer to the ship. Ukraine, as we have written in the past, has uncrewed surface vessels, the same kind that were used to strike other Russian-aligned tankers recently, that can launch aerial drones. Drones could also have been launched by virtually any ship nearby.
The War Zone cannot independently verify the Defense Express claims and has reached out to Ukrainian security and intelligence services for more details. In a post on X, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs vigorously denied any involvement in the incident and suggested it could have been staged.
Regardless of what happened, the vessel’s reported owner, Middle Volga Shipping LLC, is currently under Ukrainian sanctions for transporting Russian oil, according to the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Directorate (GUR).
“Kyiv has repeatedly called on the West to take real action against Russia’s so-called ‘shadow fleet,’ which the Ukrainian government says is helping Moscow export large quantities of oil and fund its war in Ukraine despite Western sanctions,” NBC News explained. “The fleet of hundreds of often aging, unregulated vessels came to prominence after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, bypassing Western sanctions aimed at reducing Moscow’s oil revenue.”
Ukraine, as we have frequently reported, is waging a campaign against Russia’s energy infrastructure involving numerous attacks on refineries and other supply hubs inside Russia. Now it appears to be taking place in the Black Sea as well. On Friday, Ukraine used domestically produced Sea Baby naval drones to strike two Russian oil tankers in that body of water, an official from Ukraine’s security services told The Associated Press on Saturday.
The two oil tankers, Kairos and Virat, were struck in quick succession off Turkey’s Black Sea coast late Friday afternoon, according to the wire service. Both vessels are said to be part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” that evades sanctions, the AP noted. The strikes prompted rescue operations by the Turkish coast guard and other teams. Crew members on board both vessels were reported to be safe.
The SBU official, who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the operations, provided a video of the alleged attack, purporting to show the destruction of two tankers at sea. In the following video, the Sea Babies can be seen approaching the vessels, followed by balls of fire resulting from the explosions.
All three of these incidents took place in international waters, but in Turkey’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The VesselFinder ship tracking website showed the Virat was anchored north of the Bosphorus, not far from its current position, on Nov. 4, The Associated Press noted. The Kairos’ last position was on Nov. 26, south of the Dardanelles Strait connecting the Aegean Sea and the Sea of Marmara.
On Friday, the Turkish president issued a blistering warning about the safety of Black Sea in the wake of last week’s attacks.
“The war between Russia and Ukraine has clearly begun to threaten navigational safety in the Black Sea,” Erdogan told reporters. “The targeting of vessels in our Exclusive Economic Zone on Friday signals a worrying escalation.”
“We cannot justify these attacks in any way,” the Turkish leader added. “We are conveying the necessary warnings to all relevant sides regarding such incidents.”
Up until recent days, the vast majority of Kyiv’s attacks were in the northern Black Sea and against Russian Navy vessels. As we have frequently pointed out, Ukraine’s USVs have attacked Russian ports, ships and the Kerch Bridge. They have forced Russia’s Black Sea Fleet (BSF) to avoid operating in the open waters of the northern Black Sea, and limit activities in other areas.
We may soon learn more about who and what was behind the Midvolga-2 incident. Regardless, Ukraine’s acknowledgement of Friday’s attacks on ships near Turkey is an indication that Kyiv may is expanding its Black Sea campaign.
Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com
