Ukraine-Russia war latest: Kyiv claims it hit Putin’s ‘shadow fleet’ tankers with underwater drones in Black Sea

Ukraine deployed naval drones to hit Russian oil tankers off Turkey’s Black Sea coast on Friday afternoon, a Ukrainian security services official said on Saturday.

The vessels have been identified as the Kairos and Virat, which are thought to be part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” used to curb international sanctions.

Both vessels were under sanctions, with the US sanctioning the Virat in January this year, followed by the EU, Switzerland, the UK and Canada.

The EU also sanctioned the Kairos in July, followed by the UK and Switzerland.

According to the OpenSanctions database, which tracks people or organisations involved in sanctions evasion, “the shadow tanker fleet continues to provide multibillion-dollar revenues for the Kremlin bypassing sanctions, disguising its activities under the flags of third countries, using complex schemes to conceal owners and poses significant environmental threats.”

The Virat uses “irregular and high-risk shipping practices” and has previously sailed under the flags of Barbados, Comoros, Liberia and Panama.

Mstyslav Chernov, the Academy Award-winning director of 20 Days in Mariupol, gave The Independent an insight into morale on the frontline after the limited release of his latest documentary, 2000 Meters to Andriivka, put him straight on the battlefield with Ukraine’s armed forces.

It comes as Ukrainian officials continue to negotiate peace terms after the US president Donald Trump put forward a deal to end the war which critics have described as being pro-Russian.

The Independent’s Bryony Gooch reports:

Territorial disagreements remain key sticking points as Russia and Ukraine tentatively advance peace negotiations.

Russia currently occupies 20 per cent of Ukraine, and wants further control over more of major regions including the Donbas.

President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to meet French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Monday.

The two leaders will discuss “the conditions of a just and durable peace”, the Elysee Palace said on Saturday.

President Macron last hosted the Ukrainian leader on 17 November.

Ukraine used naval drones to strike two empty oil tankers which were sailing to Novorossiysk, a major Russian Black Sea oil terminal.

The tankers have been identified as the Kairos and Virat, an official from the SBU said.

Footage shared by the official showed naval drones speeding towards hulking tankers, which was followed by powerful explosions that caused fires on the vessels.

The attack comes as Ukraine looks to step up its pressure on Russia’s oil industry.

South African police said they arrested four men en route to Russia who are suspected of having been recruited to fight in the military there.

The men were stopped at the boarding gate in Johannesburg on Friday, police said, weeks after reports another 17 South African men were stuck in Ukraine after being lured into joining mercenary forces with the promise of lucrative contracts.

It is illegal under South African law for citizens to provide military assistance to foreign governments or participate in foreign armies without authorisation.

“The arrests followed a tip-off from (Johannesburg airport police) regarding four males who were en route to Russia via the United Arab Emirates,” the elite Hawks police unit said in a statement on Saturday.

“A preliminary investigation revealed that a South African female had allegedly been facilitating the travel and recruitment of these individuals into the Russian Federation military,” it added.

The Hawks said the four suspects are expected to appear in court on Monday on suspicion of contravening the Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act.

Germany will donate a record €11.5 billion to Ukraine for artillery, drones and other military equipment, Denys Shmyal the defence minister has said.

“Ukraine will receive a record €11.5 billion from Germany for artillery, drones, military equipment, and other gear. The lower house of the German parliament approved the federal budget for 2026. This assistance is critically important for maintaining our defensive capabilities. “I am grateful to the German parliament, the government, especially my colleague Boris Pistorius, and the entire German people for their unwavering support.”

Ukraine has revealed plans to update its national defence plan, president Volodymyr Zelensky reported following a meeting with defence minister Denys Shmyhal.

“We agreed that Denys will prepare detailed proposals for these changes and present them to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine for approval,” he said on X. “The Minister of Defense also reported on his trips to the Mykolaiv and Kherson regions and on the protective measures being implemented. Separately, we discussed the protection of critical infrastructure and the allocation of the relevant resources.

“It is important that the Government and the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine are fully ensuring the necessary funding – in particular for the purchase of drones for combat brigades – and that yesterday another monthly subvention tranche for combat brigades was financed in the amount of 4.3 billion hryvnias.

“An additional 8 billion hryvnias was also allocated for the financing of the Drone Line.”