'Mayday, need help': Russian shadow fleet Virat crew before Ukrainian drone attack

An unmanned sea vessel struck a Russian shadow fleet oil 'Virat' in the Black Sea off Turkey’s coast in the early hours of Saturday.

Ukraine took responsibility for the attack, saying it attacked the tankers with sea baby drones, according to a Bloomberg report.

The crew of the tanker reported a ‘drone attack' in an intercepted open-frequency radio distress call. However, they were referring to unmanned maritime drones. In a video, the crew can be heard saying, "This is VIRAT. Help needed! Drone attack! Mayday!"

"This is VIRAT. Help needed! Drone attack! Mayday!"

The crew of the tanker VIRAT reported a drone attack on an open frequency. Clearly, they weren't referring to regular drones, but to unmanned boats.

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As a reminder, the tankers VIRAT and KAIROS were "exposed to external… pic.twitter.com/cQ7oXvljZ7

— Victor vicktop55 commentary (@vick55top) November 28, 2025

The Turkish transport ministry said on X, "The Virat, which was previously said to have been attacked by unmanned maritime vehicles approximately 35 nautical miles off the Black Sea coastline, was attacked again by unmanned maritime vehicles early this morning”.

Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said, "An external impact means the vessel was hit by a mine, a rocket, or a similar projectile, or perhaps by a drone, or by an unmanned underwater vehicle. These are the first things that come to mind.”

Although Virat suffered minor damage, it is in a stable condition, and the crew is also in good health.