Ukraine Drone Attack Sets Fire Atop Liberian-Flagged Oil Tanker With All Indian Crew

On Tuesday evening, Ukraine launched a drone attack on an oil tanker off Russia’s Black Sea coast, resulting in a massive fire and a dense cloud of black smoke. The Liberian-flagged tanker, carrying an all-Indian crew of 23, was targeted by "naval drones," according to Russia’s transport ministry. As the fire was so intense, firefighters initially struggled to control it, and all crew members were successfully rescued with no reported injuries.

The attack occurred near Sochi, Russia's popular Black Sea resort city, which has a population of nearly 500,000.

Russian Transport Minister Andrey Nikitin convened an emergency response headquarters, ensuring that sufficient personnel and equipment were deployed to manage the incident. In a precautionary measure, authorities temporarily closed nearby beaches in the federal territory of Sirius. Subsequent monitoring in Sochi found pollutant concentrations below permitted limits, indicating no immediate danger to public health.

At the same time, Bulgaria reported that two commercial vessels had also been hit by drones in its exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea. The origin of the drones was under investigation, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy firmly blamed Russia for the attacks, calling them "an unacceptable attack" and a "blatant violation of international law and maritime law." Bulgaria's Prime Minister Rumen Radev echoed this sentiment, condemning the attacks.

Bulgaria's Alfa Watan sank following the drone strike due to critical structural damage, with the crew's fate still unknown. The second vessel, the Palau-flagged Able, caught fire and was rescued by a Bulgarian ferry. Two sailors sustained severe injuries and were transported to a hospital in Varna. Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine's military did not conduct operations near the vessels struck by drones, attributing the attacks to a combined Russian attack using maritime and aerial drones.