Russia has accused Ukraine of carrying out attacks on two oil tankers in the Black Sea earlier this week and targeting a major oil terminal near the Russian port city of Novorossiysk.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova on Sunday condemned what she called “terrorist attacks” and linked them to a strike a day earlier on infrastructure belonging to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), a critical export route for Kazakh oil through Russia.
Kiev has not commented on the allegations.
The CPC said unmanned boats hit one of the terminal’s single-point moorings on Saturday morning, prompting Russian authorities to halt loading and related operations.
The incidents followed explosions at sea on Friday involving two empty tankers en route to Novorossiysk.
Turkish authorities evacuated the crew
Türkiye’s Directorate General for Maritime Affairs said rescue crews evacuated the crew of the tanker KAIROS after it caught fire 45 kilometres off Türkiye’s coast due to an “external factor”.
A second vessel, VIRAT, reported being struck roughly 35 nautical miles offshore.
Türkiye’s Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said coordination was underway among national agencies after the blasts.
Kazakhstan, whose exports rely heavily on the Novorossiysk terminal, issued a formal protest on Sunday over what it called “another deliberate attack”, urging Ukraine to prevent further incidents.
Zakharova, citing videos circulating in Ukrainian media, claimed Kiev’s security services had “effectively acknowledged involvement” and said Moscow views the attacks as an attempt to undermine international efforts toward a lasting peace.
She also warned that the incidents threaten freedom of navigation in the region. Ukraine has yet to respond to Russia’s accusations.
