A tanker carrying vegetable oil was attacked in the Black Sea: what is known

The tanker Midvolga 2, en route from Russia to Georgia with a cargo of sunflower oil, was attacked by a drone in the Black Sea 80 miles off the coast of Turkey. This was announced on December 2 by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure of the republic, noting that 13 crew members have no health problems, and the ship is moving independently to the port of Sinop. All the details are in the Izvestia article.

What is known about the attack on the tanker

The incident occurred on the morning of December 2, when the ship was in the international waters of the Black Sea. According to Rosmorrechflot, quoted by RIA Novosti, the attack was carried out using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and resulted in minor damage to the ship's superstructure.

There was no water leakage in the hull, and communication with the crew and the shipowner was not interrupted. The 140-meter-long tanker, sailing under the Russian flag, continues to move under its own power to the Turkish port of Sinop. There are no casualties.

This is not the first such incident in the Black Sea in recent days. Earlier, on November 28, the Gambian-flagged tanker Virat was also attacked 56 km off the coast of Turkey, and a fire broke out on the Kairos tanker, the possible cause of which the Turkish authorities called external interference. According to the Guardian newspaper, the Ukrainian special services have confirmed their involvement in the attacks by naval drones on these two tankers.

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How did the officials react

On December 1, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, commenting on a series of attacks on ships, said that creating threats to maritime safety in Turkey's economic zone was unacceptable. He stressed that Ankara cannot justify attacks on merchant ships that threaten human lives and the environment, and will send "necessary warnings" to all parties.

On the same day, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna issued a statement calling on Ukraine not to attack ships in the Baltic Sea.

"Over 60% of Russian gas and oil exports pass through the Gulf of Finland, and this is still a huge burden," he said.

According to Tsakhkna, attacks on tankers would be unwise, as they could lead to an environmental disaster.

The official representative of the UN Secretary General, Stephane Dujarric, said that attacks on civilian infrastructure are prohibited by international law.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in turn, said that Ukraine's attacks on oil tankers in Turkish waters and the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) prove the essence of the Kiev regime.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.