The Kairos was struck in the south-west area of the Black Sea and the Virat in a central area further east. Both are on a list of ships subject to sanctions, according to London Stock Exchange data. <\/p>\n
Sources told BBC Ukrainian that Sea Baby drones were used in the attack – a type of naval drone produced by Ukraine’s security services, known as the SBU.<\/p>\n
Turkish authorities said they had been assisting the vessels, and released footage showing two Turkish boats trying to extinguish the fire on the Kairos.<\/p>\n
The attacks are seen as a warning by Ukraine, suggesting that ships carrying Russian oil in the Black Sea face the risk of direct attack, not just Western sanctions.<\/p>\n
Separately, a major consortium transporting oil from the Caspian region said it had suspended loading in the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, after an attack by unmanned boats overnight.<\/p>\n
The Caspian Pipeline Consortium said the attack had caused significant damage to a mooring point. Russia and Kazakhstan are major stakeholders in the company, which is also part-owned by Western firms like Exxon Mobil, Chevron and Shell.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that a delegation led by top security official Rustem Umerov was on its way to the US to continue talks on an agreement to end the war. <\/p>\n