Two Russian shadow-fleet oil tankers, Kairos and Virat, were hit by Ukrainian naval drones as they sailed near the Turkish coast, marking a new escalation in the Black Sea. The vessels, flagged to Gambia, were struck Friday and again Saturday; officials report no casualties. Turkish authorities released footage showing waterborne drones closing in before explosions sent dark smoke into the air. Kyiv frames the strikes as a warning that Moscow’s oil revenues—central to fueling the war—are now directly targeted, not only by sanctions but by kinetic action.
Across Ukraine, Russia mounted one of its largest night-time drone campaigns, launching nearly 600 drones and dozens of missiles. Kyiv says three people were killed and hundreds injured; half a million residents in Kyiv and surrounding areas lost power, though some restoration followed. Ukraine claims it shot down 558 drones and 19 missiles, underscoring Kyiv’s ability to blunt Moscow’s assault. Separately, the Caspian Pipeline Consortium reported damage at its Novorossiysk mooring, forcing the halt of operations at one of three tanker berths and signaling a hit to Caspian oil flows involving Russia, Kazakhstan, and Western partners like ExxonMobil, Chevron, and Shell.
On the diplomatic front, Ukraine’s security chief Rustem Umerov led a delegation to the United States to discuss peacemaking, while President Zelensky’s top aide, Andriy Yermak, resigned after anti-corruption detectives searched his apartment. Kyiv signaled openness to a revised 19-point peace framework, while Washington and Moscow prepare for talks.
