Russia-Ukraine war: A video has gone viral on social media that captured the moment when the Russian tankers were attacked. In the video, the crew could be heard saying it was a ‘drone attack’ and they ‘need help’.
Two Russian tankers, identified as Virat and Kairos, were reportedly attacked by an unmanned vessel in the Black Sea on late Friday night, said the Turkish government on Saturday. Though the crew of the two tankers have been safely evacuated, Kairos is at a risk of sinking.
Virat was built in 2018 and the tanker uses irregular and high-risk shipping practices. Similarly, Kairos was built in 2002 and it was formerly flagged as Panamanian, Greek and Liberian, according to a report by The Associated Press (AP).ย
“The Virat, which was previously said to have been attacked by unmanned maritime vehicles approximately 35 nautical miles off the Black Sea coastline, was attacked again by unmanned maritime vehicles early this morning,” Tรผrkiye’s Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure said in a post on micro-blogging website X.
‘This is Virat, help needed’
A video has gone viral on social media that captured the moment when the Russian tankers were attacked. In the video, the crew could be heard saying it was a ‘drone attack’ and they ‘need help’. “This is VIRAT. Help needed! Drone attack! Mayday!” they said.ย
However, India TV Digital cannot independently verify the veracity of the video. Meanwhile, it should be noted that Virat only received minor damages in the attack.ย
“An external impact means the vessel was hit by a mine, a rocket, or a similar projectile, or perhaps by a drone, or by an unmanned underwater vehicle. These are the first things that come to mind,” Abdulkadir Uraloฤlu, Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, said in a statement.
Ukraine responsible for attack?
According to various media reports, Ukraine was responsible for the attack on the two Russian tankers in the Black Sea. Quoting a Ukrainian security source, CNN reported that the attack was conducted using Sea Baby maritime drones and the two tankers were ‘critically’ damaged by them.
“This will deal a significant blow to the transportation of Russian oil,” the source said, as quoted by CNN.
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