Ukraine Strikes Russian Shadow Fleet Tankers, Undermining Moscow’s Sanctions-Evasion Efforts
The Security Service of Ukraine has unveiled upgraded SeaBaby naval drones, which Ukrainian forces have been using since 2022. The new version features more powerful engines, modern navigation and communication systems, strike FPV drones, turrets, and Grad multiple launch rocket systems.
Ukrainian Sea Baby naval drones struck two Russian oil tankers operating in international waters off Turkey’s Black Sea coast on November 28, marking a significant expansion of Kyiv’s maritime drone campaign targeting the Kremlin’s oil revenue. The attacks targeted the Kairos and Virat, both vessels flagged under Gambian registry but identified by Western authorities as part of Russia‘s shadow fleet designed to evade international sanctions.
A source from Ukraine‘s Security Service told the Kyiv Independent that the domestically produced drones disabled vessels capable of transporting nearly $70 million worth of oil. The strikes occurred approximately 28 to 35 nautical miles off Turkey’s Kocaeli province, well beyond Ukraine’s previous operational range in the northern Black Sea. The Kairos caught fire following the drone strike, with Turkish coast guard teams evacuating all 25 crew members. The Virat suffered damage but remained afloat.
Targeting the Shadow Fleet
The OpenSanctions database, which tracks entities involved in sanctions circumvention, identifies both tankers as participants in schemes designed to conceal ownership and disguise activities under flags of convenience. The United States sanctioned the Virat in January 2025, with the European Union, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Canada following suit. The Kairos had been sanctioned by the EU in July 2025, followed by the U.K. and Switzerland.
Bloomberg reported that the Kairos was returning to Novorossiysk after delivering Urals crude to India, while the Virat had spent much of 2025 idle in the western Black Sea following its addition to U.S. sanctions lists.
Expanding the Campaign
Ukraine has conducted successful naval strikes against Russian vessels operating in international waters, demonstrating its ability to adapt and expand its maritime drone campaign. ChrisO_wiki, a military history author and researcher, wrote on X that targeting the stern suggests they were trying to wreck the propulsion and rudders, rather than sinking the ships outright.
The attacks mark a significant escalation of Ukraine‘s efforts to disrupt Russia‘s sanctions-evasion activities, which have been designed to circumvent international restrictions by using flags of convenience and concealing ownership. The strikes also underscore the growing importance of maritime drone technology in modern warfare, as nations seek to gain an advantage in the global competition for energy resources.
As Olena Kryzhanivska, a defense analyst and author of the Ukraine‘s Arms Monitor newsletter, previously told me, “When we see an armed conflict of such scale and intensity as between Russia and Ukraine, it’s an expected outcome that the entire wider region will be directly affected.”
Original Article: Ukraine Hit Russian Shadow Fleet Tankers, Undermining Moscow’s Sanctions-Evasion Fleet — Forbes