KREMLIN ACCUSES UKRAINE OF UNDERMINING NEGOTIATIONS VIA BLACK SEA ASSAULTS

Naval drones could be seen speeding towards hulking tankers followed by powerful explosions. (Turkish Directorate General for Maritime Affairs)

Thu 04 December 2025:

On Thursday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the Ukraine’s attacks on tankers and ships in the Black Sea are intended to disrupt the peace process.

Zakharova told a news conference in St. Petersburg that Ukraine ignored Türkiye’s and Kazakhstan’s reactions and continued its attempts to drown Russian vessels.

“Apparently, Kyiv ignored the unequivocal reaction from Ankara and Astana, sanctioning on December 1 a new attack using unmanned boats on a Russian commercial vessel, which was located 80 nautical miles from the Black Sea coast of Türkiye,” she said.

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Though the crew and the ship were not significantly harmed, Moscow considers these “terrorist attacks,” she added.

On Dec. 2, the Russian vessel Midvolga 2 was attacked by a drone 80 nautical miles from the Turkish coast, sustaining minor damage. Earlier, on Nov. 28, the tankers Kairos and Virat were attacked 28 and 38 nautical miles from the Turkish coast, respectively, resulting in a fire and hull damage.

The Turkish Directorate General of Maritime Affairs said the MIDVOLGA-2 came under attack about 130 kilometers (80 miles) off the Turkish coast. The 13 crew members were unharmed and the vessel has not requested assistance.

It was heading toward the Turkish port of Sinop, the maritime authority said in a statement on X.

On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke out against Ukraine’s drone attack on two Russian vessels, the Kairos and Virat, saying it signaled a “worrying escalation” of the conflict.

“We cannot condone these attacks, which threaten navigational safety, life, and the environment, especially in our own exclusive zone,” Erdogan said in a televised address. “We are issuing the necessary warnings to all parties regarding such situations.”

The OpenSanctions database, which tracks people or organizations involved in sanctions evasion, describes the vessels as part of a fleet of ships used to evade sanctions imposed on Russia following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine has carried out successful naval strikes against Russian shipping during the war, particularly using explosives-packed marine drones. However, Ukrainian missions have previously largely been limited to the waters of the northern Black Sea.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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