Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), operating in coordination with the Ukrainian Navy, carried out a high-impact drone strike in the Black Sea targeting two Russian “shadow fleet” oil tankers that Moscow relies on to evade international sanctions. The attack struck the vessels KAIRO and VIRAT, both of which sustained severe structural damage that left them effectively inoperable.

Footage released by Ukrainian sources shows the moment the Sea Baby naval drones slammed into the hulls of the tankers, triggering sharp explosions and causing rapid water intake. The vessels were part of Russia’s aging, poorly maintained shadow fleet—a network of repurposed, often uninsured tankers used to quietly move sanctioned oil exports around global tracking systems.

One of the most direct hits occurred on the Gambia-flagged VIRAT. According to Ukrainian intelligence, the SBU launched two drone strikes against the tanker on November 28, 2025. Post-strike imagery reveals clear hull breaches along the waterline, confirming the precision of the attack and the vessel’s inability to continue operating without major repairs.

Ukrainian officials say the operation is part of a broader strategy to obstruct Russia’s sanctions-evading oil economy, which has become a crucial revenue lifeline for the Kremlin’s war machine. By targeting maritime assets rather than civilian infrastructure, Kyiv is striking at the logistical arteries that Russia relies on to fund its military aggression.

The use of Sea Baby drones—Ukraine’s increasingly sophisticated, domestically produced naval platforms—signals Kyiv’s expanding capability to disrupt Russian operations far beyond the front lines. These unmanned vessels have previously been used to hit Russian warships and coastal targets, but the deliberate targeting of shadow fleet tankers marks a growing focus on economic-warfare objectives.

As the war continues, Ukraine’s strategic precision strikes are reshaping the security dynamics of the Black Sea, exposing the vulnerabilities of Russia’s illicit maritime trade and demonstrating how unmanned systems can deliver asymmetric impact with minimal risk to personnel.