A tanker sailing under the Turkish flag caught fire after a Ukrainian drone attack in Taganrog Bay in southern Russia on Thursday night, as Kyiv expanded a campaign against vessels it accuses of transporting Russian fuel and and engaging in sanctions evasion.
The Sabahat Telli, a chemical and oil products tanker owned and managed by Gemiciler Denizcilik of İstanbul, was among two tankers damaged overnight, according to Turkish news reports and Russian regional authorities.
Rostov Governor Yuri Slyusar said on his Telegram channel on Thursday that both vessels suffered mechanical damage and caught fire after drone strikes.
Their crews were evacuated, and no injuries were reported.
One fire was extinguished while crews continued working on the other, he added.
Russian authorities did not publicly identify the vessels.
The tanker, which has a carrying capacity of 4,442 metric tons, was delivered under the name Dutch Spirit in 1996, and renamed Sabahat Telli on January 17, 2023, when it was transferred from the Dutch to the Turkish flag.
The vessel is 100 meters long and was in the Sea of Azov when its latest tracking signal was recorded, according to maritime databases.
Kyiv’s 35 vessel claim
Robert Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, announced that Ukrainian units struck 12 tankers, one cargo ship and one tugboat in the Sea of Azov during the night of July 9.
Brovdi put the total at 35 tankers, cargo ships and support vessels over 96 hours.
Ukraine’s General Staff claimed the vessels carried fuel for Russian forces or transported oil and petroleum products to help Moscow bypass international sanctions and finance its war.
Ukraine’s published chronology includes repeat strikes on some vessels, meaning the figure does not necessarily represent 35 separate ships.
The Sabahat Telli was not among the ships that Ukrainian officials identified by name.
Five vessels in the latest wave remained unidentified.
Maritime sanctions screening services list the Turkish tanker as not subject to major international sanctions, leaving it unclear whether it was an intended target.
Wider attacks on Russian energy infrastructure
Ukraine has increased attacks on tankers, refineries, fuel depots and ports in an effort to disrupt Russia’s military logistics and energy revenue.
A day after the tanker fires, the Ilsky oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar region caught fire during another drone attack, while authorities evacuated part of Taganrog after strikes on port facilities.
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed its forces intercepted 376 Ukrainian drones from 8 p.m. July 9 to 7 a.m. July 10 over Russian regions, Russian-occupied Crimea and the Sea of Azov.