<figure id="attachment_3225104" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3225104" style="width: 1600px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-3225104" src="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/e82ef53e-black-sea-russia-ukraine.jpg" alt="Black Sea, Russia, Ukraine" width="1600" height="1000" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-3225104" class="wp-caption-text">Two oil tankers heading for Russia were rocked by explosions off Turkey&#8217;s coast amid the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict. (EPA Images pic)</figcaption></figure>
ANKARA: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday criticised drone attacks claimed by Ukraine on oil tankers heading for Russia near Turkey&#8217;s Black Sea coast as a &#8220;worrying escalation&#8221;.
Two ships, the Virat and the Kairos, were rocked by explosions off Turkey&#8217;s coast late Friday, according to the Turkish transport ministry, with the Virat struck again early Saturday.
A Ukrainian security source claimed responsibility for the attacks to AFP, saying the ships were covertly transporting Russian oil in contravention of western sanctions over the Kremlin&#8217;s invasion of Ukraine.
&#8220;We cannot under any circumstances accept these attacks, which threaten the safety of navigation, the environment and lives in our exclusive economic zone,&#8221; Erdogan said of the strikes.
&#8220;The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has clearly reached a stage where it threatens the safety of navigation in the Black Sea,&#8221; he added.
Erdogan&#8217;s criticism came as Ukraine faced pressure on both the military and political fronts, and as negotiators stepped up work on US-led efforts to end the conflict.
&#8220;We are issuing the necessary warnings to the parties concerned. We are also closely monitoring developments with a view to ending the conflict and stand ready to contribute at every opportunity,&#8221; the Turkish leader said.
Both the Kairos and the Virat, which were Gambian-flagged, are under Western sanctions for being part of the &#8220;shadow fleet&#8221; used by Russia to bypass restrictions on its oil exports.
Turkey has sought to maintain relations with Moscow and Kyiv throughout the war, offering its services as a neutral ground for negotiations.
It also controls the Bosphorus Strait, a key passage to the Black Sea used to transport Ukrainian grain and Russian oil towards the Mediterranean.

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