Ukraine says it used sea drones to strike two oil tankers that are part of Russia’s sanctioned shadow fleet and were a few dozen kilometres off the coast of Turkey.

The Gambian-flagged ships Kairos and Virat sustained explosions Friday evening after crews told Turkish officials the boats had been struck.

Kairos, which was headed to the Russian port of Novorossiysk, was partially engulfed in flames, and all 25 crew members were evacuated to safety. The crew on board Virat reported it had been hit twice and sustained what appeared to be minor damage. Neither vessel was carrying a shipment of crude at the time.

In a statement, an official with the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said the attacks on the two ships were carried out by the SBU and the Ukrainian navy using “sea baby” drones, which can travel long distances and are equipped with reinforced warheads.