Moscow: Russia has accused Ukraine of launching attacks on two oil tankers in the Black Sea, which were heading towards the Russian port city of Novorossiysk. The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, condemned the attacks and called for the condemnation of the parties involved in planning and executing these incidents.
According to Anadolu Agency, the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) reported that one of its terminal's single-point moorings was damaged in an unmanned boat attack on Saturday morning. This led to the suspension of loading and other operations as per the directive from local Russian authorities.
On Friday, the Turkish Directorate General for Maritime Affairs announced on social media platform X that rescue units saved all personnel aboard the tanker KAIROS, which caught fire due to an external factor 28 miles off Turkey's coast. Another tanker, VIRAT, reported being hit approximately 35 nautical miles offshore in the Black Sea.
Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu stated on NSosyal that coordinated operations with relevant institutions are underway following the blasts on the two tankers. Meanwhile, Kazakhstan's Foreign Ministry protested what it termed a "deliberate attack" on the Novorossiysk terminal, urging Ukraine to prevent similar incidents.
Zakharova claimed Ukraine's security services effectively acknowledged involvement by releasing video evidence in Ukrainian media. She stated that Moscow views these incidents as efforts to disrupt international peace efforts and called for condemnation, emphasizing the threat to navigation freedom in the waterway.
Ukrainian authorities have neither commented on the incidents nor responded to Zakharova's statement.