"The Matilda oil tanker, flying the Maltese flag, was attacked by two Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) approximately 100 km from the city of Anapa in the Krasnodar region," Russia's Ministry of Defense announced on social media today.

Greece had previously reported that two of its owned oil tankers, the Matilda and the Delta Harmony, were attacked by UAVs. One of these vessels was scheduled to unload Kazakh oil at a Russian port. Athens condemned the attack and stated its Foreign Minister would discuss the matter with European partners.

Russia's Ministry of Defense did not mention the Delta Harmony in its statement. Kyiv has yet to respond to Moscow's accusation.

The Matilda oil tanker. Photo: Ships Spotting

Kazakhstan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs today expressed deep concern over attacks targeting oil tankers en route to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) seaport in the Black Sea.

The statement noted, "The increasing frequency of such incidents indicates a growing risk to the operation of international energy infrastructure."

In recent weeks, Ukraine has accused Russia of attacking several cargo ships off its southern coast in the Odesa region. Kyiv has also claimed responsibility for other successful attacks on vessels linked to Russia in the Black Sea.

Thanh Tam (According to AFP)