Russian Midvolga Tanker Attack Carried Out by Unknown Drone

In the Black Sea, an unknown drone attacked a Russian tanker about 150 km from the city of Yalta in temporarily occupied Crimea.

The target was the MIDVOLGA 2 tanker, traveling along a sea route near Crimea, the Russian Telegram channel Mash reported.

At least two crew members were injured in the attack.

The incident took place around 2 a.m., roughly 80 nautical miles (150 km) off the coast of Yalta. According to available information, the drone was equipped with shrapnel.

The strike hit the wheelhouse, where the ship’s captain and second engineer were located. Both sustained shrapnel injuries and received first aid on board.

According to the shipping company’s CEO, there were 15 people on board. The tanker was sailing from Rostov-on-Don to the Turkish port of Mersin.

The ship was carrying about six tons of vegetable oil. Despite the damage, MIDVOLGA 2 continued its journey and headed independently to the port of Sinop in Turkey.

The 140-meter vessel MIDVOLGA 2 (IMO 9735139, MMSI 273376900) was built in China in 2014 and flies the Russian flag.

It belongs to the Middle Volga Shipping company in Moscow, with its home port in Bolshoi Port, St. Petersburg.

MIDVOLGA 2 regularly operates between ports in Russia, Turkey, and other countries in the Black Sea region.

On November 29, in the Black Sea, Sea Baby naval drones developed by the Security Service of Ukraine attacked two sanctioned Russian shadow fleet tankers — KAIRO and VIRAT.

Units of the 13th Main Counterintelligence Directorate of the SSU and the Ukrainian Navy jointly conducted the operation.