Ukraine's Foreign Ministry denied any involvement in the reported attack on Russian tanker Midvolga 2 off Türkiye's coast, suggesting Russia may have staged the incident itself.
"Ukraine has no connection to this incident, and we officially refute any such accusations made by Russian propaganda," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said. "Moreover, the alleged route from Russia to Georgia through Türkiye's EEZ makes no sense and hints that Russia may have staged all this."
Türkiye's General Directorate of Maritime Affairs reported that the tanker, carrying sunflower oil from Russia to Georgia, signaled an attack approximately 80 miles off the Turkish coast. Photos circulating on social media showed damage to the vessel. The ship's 13 crew members reported no injuries, and the engines remained operational. The tanker is now heading to the port of Sinop, according to Turkish authorities.
The incident came one day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned "all parties" about attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea.
"The war between Russia and Ukraine has clearly begun to threaten navigation safety in the Black Sea," Erdogan said. "The shelling of ships in our exclusive economic zone on Friday signals an alarming escalation. We cannot justify these attacks in any way."
Erdogan's statement followed reports of a drone attack on a tanker belonging to Russia's so-called shadow fleet near Türkiye's coast.
A source familiar with the matter told Hromadske that on 29 November, Ukrainian Security Service Sea Baby naval drones struck sanctioned oil tankers KAIRO and VIRAT in the Black Sea. The operation was conducted jointly by the SBU's 13th Directorate of Military Counterintelligence and Ukraine's Navy. Both tankers sustained critical damage and were effectively put out of service, according to the source.
