According to reports by Reuters and Turkish media on 8 January 2026, the Palau-flagged oil tanker Elbus, en route to Russia, was attacked by an unmanned surface vessel in the Black Sea. Following the incident, the vessel requested assistance from the Turkish Coast Guard.
The attack occurred off the coast of İnebolu, a port town on Türkiye’s Black Sea coast. According to Reuters, the tanker was struck by what maritime sources described as a drone while sailing through international waters. Russian state broadcaster NTV confirmed the attack on the Russia-linked vessel.
Naval News learned from local sources that the Elbus is currently anchored at İnebolu for inspection by the Turkish Coast Guard, which will conduct a damage assessment tomorow, and to prevent further attacks.
The Elbus is believed to be part of Russia’s so-called shadow fleet—a network of aging tankers operating under flags of convenience to transport Russian oil while evading Western sanctions. These vessels typically lack proper insurance and often disable their AIS transponders to avoid detection.
This latest strike follows a pattern established by Ukrainian naval forces in recent months. On the night of November 28, 2025, Ukrainian Sea Baby USVs attacked two tankers in the same region: the Kairos, which suffered an explosion and fire that disabled the vessel, and the Virat, which was hit near the engine room but remained stable.
The targeting of shadow fleet tankers represents a shift in Ukraine’s maritime strategy. Rather than focusing solely on Russian naval combatants—many of which have already been destroyed or damaged since 2022—Ukrainian forces are now striking at the economic infrastructure that sustains Russian oil exports through the Black Sea.
The Russian Black Sea Fleet, which has relocated much of its operations to Novorossiysk following significant losses including the cruiser Moskva and several other warships, faces challenges in protecting commercial traffic. Whether Moscow will begin escorting tankers through the region remains to be seen.
For now, vessels transiting the Black Sea to Russian ports face an increasingly hostile environment, with Ukrainian forces demonstrating both the capability and willingness to strike at Russia’s maritime commerce.
On the topic of Russia-linked shadow fleet vessels, American forces yesterday boarded and seized two tankers: One off the coast of Scotland, the other off Venezuela.
© 2026, GDC. © GDC and www.globaldefensecorp.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to www.globaldefensecorp.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
