Kyiv Hit by Drone Attack,Injuring At Least Six
Kyiv,Ukraine – A Russian drone attack on Kyiv injured at least six people on November 28,2023,according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko. The attack underscores the continued threat to Ukrainian cities despite winter conditions and follows reports of incidents involving vessels in the Black Sea.
Separately, the Gambian-flagged tanker Kairos, reportedly belonging to a Russian “ghost fleet” subject to sanctions, likely struck a mine in the Black Sea near the Bosphorus Strait and may sink, according to the Tribeca shipping agency. The 274-meter long tanker was en route to the Russian port of Novorossiysk from egypt when it was hit by an “external” impact, confirmed by the Turkish Transport ministry and Turkey’s Maritime Affairs Directorate. Rescue tugboats and the coast guard were dispatched, and an operation to evacuate the 25 crew members was launched after a fire broke out in the Kairos’ engine room.
Another tanker, the Virat, also sailing under the Gambian flag and linked to the same Russian ghost fleet and subject to sanctions, experienced an explosion approximately 35 nautical miles off the Turkish coast. Turkish authorities launched rescue operations for its crew.
Turkish authorities have not yet persistent the cause of the incidents, but numerous floating mines have been detected and destroyed in the Black Sea since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. These mines, placed by both sides to protect their coasts, have drifted due to storms.
In response to the danger, Turkey, Bulgaria, and Romania – all NATO member states bordering the Black Sea – established a naval mine countermeasures group in the Black Sea (MCM Black Sea) in 2024.
