A Russian-flagged tanker carrying sunflower oil, the MIDVOLGA-2, was attacked in the Black Sea about 130 km off Turkey’s coast, though its crew was unharmed and it did not request assistance.

The incident follows Ukrainian naval-drone attacks on two Russian “shadow fleet” tankers, Kairos and Virat, inside Turkey’s exclusive economic zone days earlier.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan condemned the earlier attacks as a “worrying escalation” that threatens navigation, safety, and the environment.

Both previously attacked vessels are linked to Russia’s sanction-evading shadow fleet, according to OpenSanctions, ABC News has reported.

Ukraine has increasingly targeted Russian shipping with naval drones during the war, though earlier operations were mostly limited to the northern Black Sea.