Ukrainian strikes on two sanctioned tankers preceded the terminal assault by only hours.
A major Russian oil terminal halts operations after drones hit it overnight.
Sea drones strike the Caspian Pipeline Consortium’s Novorossiysk terminal around 4AM, local outlets report.
Tankers Suffer Sequential Attacks
Naval drones hit two tankers in the Black Sea only hours before the terminal incident.
Rescue teams launch a wide response after the blasts.
Coast guard units save both crews through fast action.
The Kairos, flying a Gambia flag, explodes and burns 28 nautical miles from Kocaeli’s coast.
The ship travels empty from Egypt toward Novorossiysk when the blast occurs, the Transport Ministry states.
Soon after, another strike hits the Virat about 35 nautical miles from the Turkish coast.
Sanctions and Ukrainian Strategy
Authorities classify both vessels as sanctioned units in Russia’s post-2022 workaround fleet.
OpenSanctions notes that the US sanctioned Virat in January, followed by Europe and other partners.
The EU targets Kairos in July, followed by the UK and Switzerland.
A Ukrainian security official tells The Associated Press that Kyiv employs Sea Baby drones for the tanker strikes.
These drones can carry oil cargo worth more than €60 million, the official says.
The official, speaking anonymously, states that Ukrainian intelligence continues efforts to restrict Russia’s war finances.
