“This looks more like a provocation,” he said, noting that the tanker had been near Turkish territorial waters under unclear circumstances and that Russia was circulating conflicting accounts of the incident.
Pletenchuk pointed out that initial reports claimed the vessel was traveling from Russia to Georgia. “Any sailor would wonder why it made a 150-nautical-mile detour and how it ended up there in the first place.”
Russian outlets later claimed the tanker had been sailing from the occupied Crimean port of Yalta to Turkey — a shift that further undermines Moscow’s narrative, he added.
“The debris they showed is more likely evidence of a staged provocation. The main question is what the purpose of it is,” Pletenchuk said. The timing amid U.S.–Russia–Ukraine contacts on a potential ceasefire framework raises questions about whether Moscow is seeking to derail the peace process.
On Dec. 2, Turkey’s General Directorate of Maritime Affairs reported that the tanker had been attacked roughly 80 miles off the Turkish coast. The vessel, allegedly carrying sunflower oil, had 13 crew members on board who were unharmed and did not request assistance.
However, Russian state media later issued a different account, claiming the tanker was struck 80 nautical miles off occupied Yalta by a drone “flying from the direction of Odesa.”
“Ukraine has nothing to do with this incident, and we officially refute any such accusations by Russian propaganda,” Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said, noting that the reported location inside Turkey’s exclusive economic zone further suggests the narrative is inconsistent.
The tanker’s purported route through Turkish waters made little sense for a voyage between Russia and Georgia, reinforcing the likelihood of a staged incident.