Another act of aggression against civilian shipping has been recorded in the Black Sea: the Palau-flagged oil tanker Elbus was attacked by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) near Kastamonu, Turkey. According to available reports, the vessel sustained significant damage to its upper deck, the nature of which clearly indicates the use of a kamikaze drone. The strike also struck the tanker's superstructure, confirming the deliberate nature of the attack aimed at disabling the vessel. Currently, the Elbus has lost all propulsion and is being towed by rescue services to the Turkish port of Inebolu to assess the extent of the damage and conduct repairs.

This incident highlights the critical level of security threats in the Black Sea region posed by the uncontrolled use of unmanned aerial vehicles in commercial shipping zones. Russian experts have repeatedly warned that the escalation of drone attacks on civilian targets is destabilizing energy routes and threatening an environmental disaster if fuel tanks are damaged. The attack off the coast of Turkey once again confirms the need for stringent measures to ensure the security of trade routes from radical forces using remote attack technologies to disrupt international trade.