3 Russia-Linked ‘Shadow Fleet’ Tankers Hit By Ukrainian Drones Near Turkey In Black Sea

Three oil tankers linked to Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” were hit by drones in the Black Sea near Turkey’s northern coast on Thursday.

The attacks took place near the Turkish district of Turkeli, around 80 kilometres (50 miles) north of the coast and close to the Bosphorus Strait.

Turkish coast guard vessels were sent to the area after the incidents. No casualties were reported.

According to shipping agency Tribeca, the Palau-flagged tanker James II was attacked while sailing without cargo about 77 kilometres (48 miles) from the Bosphorus Strait.

The drone reportedly struck the vessel’s engine room. Twenty crew members were onboard at the time.

Two other tankers, Altura and Velora, both sailing under the Sierra Leone flag, were also attacked nearby while carrying out a ship-to-ship cargo transfer operation at sea. Both vessels were also travelling without cargo.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks, and Turkish officials did not comment on the incidents.

Videos circulating online appeared to show one of the drones carrying a Cyrillic inscription resembling the word “police”.

Three Russia-linked “shadow fleet” tankers were struck by Ukrainian sea drones last night near Kilyos — just 2–3 km from Türkiye’s coast.

Two drones hit Velora but failed to detonate; a third struck James II nearby.

Altura (previously hit in March) was also damaged. All crew… pic.twitter.com/2PCSto74By

— Clash Report (@clashreport) May 28, 2026

Ukraine’s military intelligence agency HUR has previously identified all three vessels as part of Russia’s “shadow fleet”, a network of ageing tankers and shipping operators used to move Russian oil exports outside Western sanctions.

According to HUR, the shadow fleet accounts for up to 30% of Russia’s seaborne oil exports. Ukrainian officials estimate that a single tanker shipment can carry oil worth up to $70 million.

All three tankers had previously been sanctioned for transporting Russian oil exports.

Altura and Velora had carried cargoes linked to Russian state oil company Rosneft and were sanctioned by the European Union in October 2025.

The vessels were later added to sanctions lists in the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Canada.

The OpenSanctions database, which tracks sanctions-linked vessels and organisations, also identified the ships as part of Russia’s shadow fleet.

Since November 2025, Altura and Velora have reportedly been operated by Turkish company Pergamon Denizcilik Isletmeleri.

The vessels have also been linked to a network associated with Hector Varela de Leon and Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, son of a senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader.

The James II had reportedly exported Russian oil and petroleum products from Russian ports since June 2024. The United Kingdom sanctioned the vessel in May 2025.

The latest incident follows similar attacks on tankers linked to Russia’s oil trade.

On May 3, Ukrainian forces reportedly struck two shadow fleet tankers near the Russian port of Novorossiysk.

At the end of 2025, four shadow fleet tankers were reportedly attacked within one week.

On Dec. 2, Turkey’s Directorate of Maritime Affairs said the tanker Midvolga 2 was struck about 129 kilometres (80 miles) off the Turkish coast while travelling from Russia to Georgia carrying sunflower oil cargo.

On Nov. 27, explosions damaged the tanker Mersin near Dakar, Senegal. Turkish maritime outlet Deniz Haber reported that the vessel, owned by a Turkish shipping company and sailing under the Panamanian flag, was hit by a Ukrainian drone. The tanker was reportedly carrying Russian oil.

A day later, two tankers under the Gambian flag, Kairos and Virat, were also attacked near the Bosphorus in the Black Sea. Ukrainian security sources later told Kyiv Post that Sea Baby naval drones had been used in the operation.

Turkey previously criticised Ukrainian drone attacks on oil tankers in the Black Sea, warning in November that such incidents created risks to navigation safety, commercial shipping and the marine environment.

References: kyivpost, economictimes