Russian tanker reportedly hit by sea drones in Black Sea near Turkey
A Russian oil tanker reportedly came under a drone attack in the Black Sea while en route to a port in northern Turkey on Dec. 2, according to Turkish authorities.
"The tanker MIDVOLGA-2, carrying sunflower oil from Russia to Georgia, reported being attacked 80 miles off our coast," the Turkish Transport Ministry wrote on X on Dec. 2. "Currently, there are no casualties among the 13 crew members, and the vessel has not requested assistance. The ship is proceeding toward Sinop under its own power."
According to Marine Traffic, an online ship-tracking platform, the Midvolga-2 is an oil and chemical tanker just under 140 meters long and sails under the Russian flag.
Citing unnamed Turkish officials, Bloomberg reported that the Midvolga-2 was struck by sea drones.
Eighty miles would be outside Turkey’s territorial waters but well within its Exclusive Economic Zone.
Heorhii Tykhyi, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Foreign Affairs Ministry subsequently denied Ukraine's involvement in a post on X, suggesting "that Russia may have staged the whole thing."
Ukraine has nothing to do with this incident, and we officially refute any allegations of such kind made by Russian propaganda. Furthermore, the alleged route from Russia to Georgia across Türkiye's EEZ makes no sense—and suggests that Russia may have staged the whole thing. https://t.co/bA8tXEjQHt
— Heorhii Tykhyi (@SpoxUkraineMFA) December 2, 2025
The attack follows a series of recent Ukrainian strikes on Russia’s “shadow fleet” — vessels that skirt sanctions to sell Russian fossil fuels abroad. These strikes have typically used “Sea Baby” naval drones.
"These incidents, which occurred within our Exclusive Economic Zone in the Black Sea, pose serious risks to navigation, life, property, and environmental safety in the region," Oncu Keceli, a spokesperson for the Turkish Foreign Affairs Ministry, wrote on X on Nov. 29 in response to earlier such incidents.
The need to preserve access to its naval base at Sevastopol was one of the major pretexts Russia gave to justify its 2014 annexation of Crimea. Today, however, Ukraine's naval drones have rendered the Black Sea so perilous that Russia effectively does not use its navy in its invasion.
Ukraine has, moreover, set oil refineries and natural gas processing plants throughout Russia ablaze in an effort to kick the economic legs out from under the Russian war machine. The attacks on vessels that ship Russian oil represent an extension of that tactic into international waters – a move that was bound to cause controversy for pushing into the civilian realm. Turkey's mention of the Midvolga-2's cargo of sunflower oil highlights this particular source of contention.
Editor's Note: 3:53 PM Kyiv Time: This article has been updated including a response from Ukraine's Foreign Affairs Ministry released after initial publication.
