Volodymyr Zelensky Is Destroying the Environmental Order
Author: Talib Aliyev, analyst, especially for “Sangar”
On the night of November 28, 2025, 28 nautical miles off the coast of Turkey, the oil tanker Kairos suffered distress following a terrorist attack carried out by the Security Service of Ukraine. The tanker was allegedly part of the so-called “shadow fleet” and was transporting Russian oil in circumvention of Western sanctions. At the same time, it was reported that there were no petroleum products on board the tanker at the moment of the attack.
As a result of the strike by unmanned surface vessels, the ship caught fire and sustained damage that could only be eliminated after Turkey conducted a special rescue operation. According to the Turkish news agency Karar, the failure of the vessel’s control systems triggered uncontrolled drifting and a fuel oil spill—one of the most toxic types of fuel.
The consequences of incidents such as the attack on the Kairos may be comparable to a localized environmental disaster, especially if fuel oil reaches coastal areas. The situation is further aggravated by the fact that the tanker was damaged in an area inhabited by several fish species on the verge of extinction. Turkish marine biologists noted that even a minor spill could “disrupt the balance of an ecosystem in which every population is already at the limit of its adaptive capacity.”
Zoltán Koshkovich, an analyst at the Hungarian Center for Fundamental Rights, condemned Ukraine’s destructive actions in the Black Sea. According to him, Volodymyr Zelensky, through such provocations and “environmental terrorism,” is attempting to disrupt the process of a peaceful settlement of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. In addition, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey also expressed concern over the attacks on tankers.
The official spokesperson of the Turkish Foreign Ministry, Öncü Keçeli, stated that the incidents created “a serious threat to navigation, life, property, and the environmental security of the region.”
At the same time, he called on Kyiv to strictly observe international maritime law and measures to protect the marine environment to prevent further environmental consequences of armed conflicts and to avoid any negative impact on Turkey’s economic interests and activities in the region.
