Russia Vows Revenge After Strike on Oil Tanker

Russian officials say that they are looking to exact retaliation on Ukraine for a naval drone attack on one of their oil tankers.

“There can be no justification for such barbaric actions, they will not go unanswered, their authors and perpetrators will inevitably be punished,” Maria Zakharova, Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson wrote Saturday on her Telegram channel.

A Ukrainian drone struck the Russian tanker in the Kerch Strait off annexed Crimea overnight. Russian officials in Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014, said that the Crimean bridge and ferry transport were suspended for hours, but no injuries were reported.

"We strongly condemn the terrorist attack on a civilian vessel, which threatened not only the death of its crew but also carried the threat of a large-scale ecological catastrophe," Zakharova said in the post.

Kyiv said that targeting Russian military infrastructure inside Russia or Ukrainian areas occupied by Moscow is an important part of its counteroffensive -- which the war-torn country launched in recent months with a military boost from the West -- to take back its territories. The fight between Russian and Ukrainian forces has extended throughout major cities, including Kyiv, Kherson, Odesa, and Bakhmut since the war began in February 2022.

Zakharova also said on Saturday that the strike caused a hole in the engine room of the vessel, affecting the ship’s ability to “move independently.” She confirmed that the crew on the tanker weren’t injured.  

The drone carried 45 kilograms of explosives that hit the vessel as it was transporting oil to the Russian army positioned in Ukrainian waters, a Ukrainian intelligence source told Reuters. The source added that the tanker was loaded with fuel so the “fireworks” were seen from a far distance. 

Zakharova said that the military arm, SBU (Security Service of Ukraine) claimed responsibility for the attack and described SBU’s chief Vasyl Malyuk as a person with the “inhumanity characteristic of the Ukronazis.” 

Ukronazism is a term inspired by Russian state propaganda painting Ukraine as a neo-nazi state and refers to Ukrainians involved in the Russia-Ukraine war as Ukronazis. 

“The international community can once again see for itself what kind of 'legality' is professed in Kyiv,” Zakharova said.

Malyuk commented on the attack in a separate Telegram post, according to NBC News, saying “Any explosions that happen with the ships of the Russian Federation or the Crimean Bridge is an absolutely logical and effective step in relation to the enemy.”

“If the Russians want the explosions to stop, they should use the only option for this — to leave the territorial waters of Ukraine,” he added.

The drone attack comes a day after another naval drone struck a Russian navy base at the Novorossiysk port, damaging a warship, according to Reuters. 

Ukraine warned on Saturday that six Russian Black Sea ports were in a “war risk” area, including Anapa, Novorossiysk, Gelendzhik, Tuapse, Sochi, and Taman.