Patrick Sykes and Firat Kozok of Bloomberg report that a fourth Russia-linked tanker, the Midvolga-2, was attacked in the Black Sea on Tuesday, marking a sharp escalation in strikes on vessels connected to Moscow as the war nears its fifth year. The small tanker, carrying sunflower oil from Russia to Georgia, was hit by drones about 80 miles off Turkey’s northern coast, according to Turkish officials, though no group has claimed responsibility and Ukraine has denied involvement. The incident follows three similar attacks since late last week, underscoring rising risks to Russia-associated shipping amid an intensifying energy war between Moscow and Kyiv. Turkey, increasingly alarmed by the growing danger to navigation in its waters, said the Midvolga-2’s crew is unharmed, and the ship is proceeding to Sinop under its own power. The surge in maritime strikes comes as Ukraine targets Russian oil infrastructure and as diplomatic efforts continue, with a US delegation set to visit Moscow for talks on a potential path toward ending the conflict. They write:

A fourth Russia-connected tanker in under a week was attacked on Tuesday, a sharp uptick in strikes on Moscow-associated shipping as the war in Ukraine nears a fifth year.

The tiny oil and chemicals tanker Midvolga-2 was sailing across the Black Sea to Georgia from Russia hauling sunflower oil when it was attacked about 80 miles off Turkey’s northern coast, the Transport Ministry’s Maritime Affairs Directorate said on X.

It remains unclear who carried out Tuesday’s strike. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry denied involvement in the incident and no party has so far claimed responsibility for it. A majority of attacks on Russia-linked shipping over the past year have likewise gone unattributed. […]

Midvolga-2 was hit early Tuesday by drones, according to Turkish officials familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity.  […]

Turkey has tried to position itself as a neutral mediator in the conflict, hosting peace talks in Istanbul while selling weapons to Kyiv and importing Russian oil shunned by its NATO allies. More recently, Turkey started curbing crude purchases under growing US pressure.

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