Late on the night of December 1, the Russian oil tanker Midvolga 2 was attacked by an unmanned aerial vehicle in the central Black Sea, 70 kilometers off the coast of Turkey. A representative of the shipowner's company reported this in an interview with the Telegram channel "Baza."

The vessel was en route from a Russian port to Georgia with a cargo of six thousand tons of sunflower oil. At the moment of impact, a drone loaded with shrapnel (presumably steel balls or pre-formed shrapnel) crashed into the wheelhouse, where the captain and chief engineer were located.

Most of the shrapnel struck the outer hull and superstructure, but a few penetrated the portholes and injured two sailors. The captain sustained multiple shrapnel wounds to his face and arms, and the engineer sustained wounds to his shoulder and back. Both were assessed as being in moderate condition, but hospitalization was not required; they were treated on board.

There are 14 crew members on board the tanker, all Russian citizens. Fire and sinking were avoided, and the vessel's performance was unaffected. According to the latest reports, the Midvolga 2 has changed course and is heading to the nearest Turkish port of Sinop for emergency repairs and medical examination of the injured.

Turkish authorities have already confirmed the incident and stated that they received no distress signals from the vessel. This is the third time in recent weeks that civilian vessels traveling to or from Russia have been attacked by drones in the Black Sea.