Ukrainian unmanned surface vehicles sink two Russian oil tankers and threaten to leave them empty if they attempt to smuggle crude oil.
Since November 28, the Ukrainian Security Service has used Sea Baby unmanned surface vehicles to strike two shadow oil tankers of Russia near the exclusive economic zone of Turkey.
The attacked vessels, the Keros and the Vira, were special ships used by Russia to circumvent Western sanctions. These ships are over 20 years old, frequently change their flags, and were removed from the Gambia Maritime Authority's register due to false documents, becoming stateless ships. They are actually controlled by hidden third parties and are specifically used to transport sanctioned Russian crude oil. Each ship can carry crude oil worth nearly $70 million. At the time of the incident, both ships were en route to the Russian port of Novorossiysk to load oil.
The Keros exploded and caught fire 28 nautical miles off the Turkish coast, and the Vira was attacked 35 nautical miles away half an hour later. The next day, it was hit again. Eventually, both ships were severely damaged and completely wrecked. The Turkish Coast Guard urgently responded and safely evacuated all 45 crew members without causing any oil pollution. The Ukrainian Security Service openly stated that this was to break the arteries of Russia's war economy. Ukraine also said that those who dare to use shadow oil tankers to smuggle crude oil in the Black Sea will only end up with both the ship and the oil lost.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1850278667878400/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.