In a joint operation in the Black Sea, the Ukrainian Navy and the SSU’s 13th Main Directorate of Military Counterintelligence hit two russian shadow-fleet tankers — KAIRO and VIRAT — with Sea Baby unmanned surface vessels as the ships were en route to load cargo at the port of Novorossiysk. Footage of the strike was published by volunteer Serhiy Sternenko.
The attack took place on Friday, November 28. Türkiye’s Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure reported the incident, describing it as an “external impact” on the vessels.
Later, Turkish officials confirmed that by the morning of November 29, the crew of the tanker KAIRO, which caught fire after the explosion, had been evacuated. The second tanker, VIRAT, came under a subsequent strike on Saturday morning, sustaining damage to its starboard side. No fire was reported on board, and rescue teams were said to be keeping a safe distance from the vessel.
Some sources report that the tankers were hit by modernized Sea Baby drones. Earlier, we detailed the upgrades introduced to these maritime platforms: new-generation models reportedly have a range of up to 1,500 km, can carry a 900-kg warhead, and, if necessary, can transport up to 2 tons of payload.
Fire aboard a russian shadow-fleet tanker following a strike by a Sea Baby unmanned surface vessel
The published footage clearly shows the naval drones striking the tankers, followed by a large fire. Meanwhile, the Telegram channel Operativno ZSU released what it claims to be communications with the crew of VIRAT, offering additional insight into the attack.
According to the intercepted conversation, the crew initially believed the tanker had been attacked by aerial drones — because “after the first strike, communications went out immediately; everything went offline at once.”
Only later did they realize the attackers were unmanned surface vessels:
“Low-profile craft, hidden behind the waves — you can’t see them. Only after the strike, when they started circling, did we understand.”
The crew reported four to five impacts in total, with “small” damage sustained “everywhere” across the ship. They confirmed damage to the engine room and noted that the vessel would likely require emergency towing.
Earlier, Defense Express reported that russia may have suffered yet another failure involving its Sarmat missile during a launch from the Yasny base.