Yet Another Russia-Linked Tanker Gets Attacked in the Black Sea

A fourth Russia-connected tanker in under a week was attacked on Tuesday, a sharp uptick in strikes on Moscow-associated shipping as the war in Ukraine nears a fifth year.

The tiny oil and chemicals tanker Midvolga-2 was sailing across the Black Sea to Georgia from Russia hauling sunflower oil when it was attacked about 80 miles off Turkey’s northern coast, the Transport Ministry’s Maritime Affairs Directorate said on X.

The ship was hit early Tuesday by drones, according to Turkish officials familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Read more: Black Sea Shipping Insurance Rates Rise After Ukraine Attacks on Tankers, Sources Say

Russia and Ukraine are fighting an increasingly intense energy war as they attempt to gain a meaningful advantage after months of stalemate on the frontlines and ahead of potential new peace talks.

The past week has seen a dramatic increase in the intensity of attacks — with four incidents taking place, taking the tally since December to at least nine.

In general, nobody has taken responsibility for the incidents, although a person with knowledge of the matter said Ukraine was behind two attacks that took place in the Black Sea on Friday. A Turkish-managed vessel also suffered four external explosions near Senegal.

Tuesday’s attack came despite criticism by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that the “alarming” incidents are threatening safety and navigation in his country’s waters.

The Midvolga-2, sailing under the flag of Russia, hasn’t requested assistance and its 13 crew are unharmed, Turkey’s Transport Ministry said, adding that the vessel is sailing to the Turkish port of Sinop under its own power.

The owner, listed as Moscow-based Mazk Management on maritime database Equasis, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Alongside the shipping attacks, Ukraine has gone after a record number of Russian oil refineries and caused major damage to an oil port in Russia’s Black Sea that handles oil from Kazakhstan.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff is set to lead a delegation to Russia for talks this week on the latest proposal to end the war in Ukraine.

Turkey has tried to position itself as a neutral mediator in the conflict, hosting peace talks in Istanbul while selling weapons to Kyiv and importing Russian oil shunned by its NATO allies. More recently, Turkey started curbing crude purchases under growing US pressure.

Related:

Copyright 2025 Bloomberg.

Topics
Russia