Oil Tanker Hit By Naval Drones Near Sochi, Sparking Massive Fire On Black Sea
- By RFE/RL
A Liberian-flagged oil tanker caught fire off the Russian resort city of Sochi after an apparent drone attack, Russian authorities said on October 6. The 23 crew members, all Indian, were rescued. The Ukrainian monitoring site BlackSeaNews identified the vessel as part of Russia’s so-called shadow fleet, which is used to evade sanctions. The incident follows a string of recent attacks on commercial vessels elsewhere in the Black Sea, underscoring the growing risks to shipping in the region.
