Ukraine Drone Strikes Set Russian Tanker Ablaze in Black Sea

· Security · Ukraine · Russia

Ukrainian drone and unmanned-vessel attacks set a Liberian-flagged tanker ablaze off Russia's Black Sea coast, with emergency crews rescuing its 23-member crew, the Russian Transport Ministry said. A separate attack triggered a huge tanker fire off Russia's Sochi, and another vessel sank in the Black Sea with crew missing. India said 12 sailors were injured, 11 of them Indian, after a tanker was attacked off Oman, and Indian embassy officials in Romania met three Indians rescued from the commercial vessel MV ROYAD MAMMADOV after it was attacked in the Black Sea. The attacks come as Russia intensifies strikes in the Black Sea in its war against Ukraine, with nearly 20 commercial ships, mostly tankers, attacked in the past month and oil markets on edge.

Why it matters：Escalating attacks on commercial shipping in the Black Sea and nearby waters threaten global energy flows and raise risks for crews and insurers far beyond the war's front lines.

Key points

  • A Liberian-flagged tanker was set ablaze off Russia's Black Sea coast; all 23 crew were rescued.
  • One vessel sank with crew missing, and a separate attack caused a large tanker fire off Sochi.
  • Twelve sailors, 11 of them Indian, were injured when a tanker was attacked off Oman.

Sources (original reporting)

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