Kyiv Under Attack, Oil Tankers Ablaze in Black Sea
Kyiv, Ukraine – Russia launched a missile and drone attack on Ukraine’s capital and surrounding regions overnight, injuring at least six people, one critically. simultaneously, fires erupted on two oil tankers in the Black Sea off the Turkish coast, with one vessel bound for a Russian port.
The dual incidents escalate tensions in the region as the conflict in Ukraine continues and raise concerns about maritime security and potential disruptions to energy transport. The attacks on Kyiv mark a renewed assault on the city, while the tanker fires – possibly the result of a drone strike - spotlight Russia’s use of a “shadow fleet” to circumvent international sanctions.
According to Ukrainian military administration, six strikes hit Kyiv, impacting residential areas including apartment complexes.Fires broke out and power outages were reported across the city.Mayor Vitali Klitschko stated a fire ignited on the lower floors of an apartment building in the city’s west, while another fire in the city center was quickly extinguished. Air raid sirens sounded in other Ukrainian regions, with explosions reported in Dnipro.
In the Black Sea, the Turkish channel Haberturk reported the oil tankers, sailing under the flag of Gambia, may have been targeted by drones. Turkish maritime authorities attributed the fires to “an external attack” without providing specifics. The Virat experienced heavy smoke emanating from it’s engine room, but all twenty crew members were reported safe. The Kairos faced a more severe fire, prompting Turkish rescue teams to evacuate all twenty-five people on board.
The OpenSanctions database identifies both vessels as belonging to Russia’s “shadow fleet,” utilized to bypass sanctions imposed on Moscow. The Kairos was en route to the Russian port city of Novorossisk at the time of the incident.
