WW3 fears soar as Russian oil tanker explodes in huge fireball off NATO ally's coast

Firefighters in Odesa (Image: Ukrainian government)

A Russian oil tanker exploded in a huge fireball after being attacked by “unknown drones” just 15 miles off a NATO ally’s coast. The vessel under the flag of Sierra Leone was hit by a “powerful explosion” in the Black Sea while carrying 140,000 tons of crude oil on board.

The crew of the Altura requested assistance after damage to the deck and engine room, according to reports. The tanker — which loaded oil at the Russian port of Novorossiysk on March 22 — was struck as it approached the Bosphorus. Ukraine has previously targeted shadow fleet vessels exporting Russian oil, but there was no immediate claim of responsibility. The latest development will doubtless prompt fresh concerns about escalation.

The Altura oil tanker was apparently hit off the coast of Turkey (Image: East2West)

The Exilenova Telegram channel said: “The tanker M/T Altura is subject to EU sanctions and is part of the ‘shadow fleet’ of the Russian Federation.

“The ship is used to transport Russian oil in circumvention of restrictions — with hidden ownership, changing flags and routes — a typical scheme for evading sanctions.”

The 27-strong crew, believed to be Turkish, were reported unharmed.

The strike came as Vladimir Putin faces a crippling blow to his oil exports after recent blistering Ukrainian attacks on ports, refineries and pipelines.

The Altura oil tanker attack (Image: East2West)

The major blow lands amid higher oil prices driven by the Iran conflict, even as Russia’s ability to cash in is being severely hampered.

At least 40 % of Putin’s oil exports are now under threat.

Overnight Ukrainian strikes hit Kirishski in Russia’s Leningrad region — the country’s second largest refinery — turning the sky crimson as a huge inferno erupted.

The facility, owned by Surgutneftegas, produces gasoline, diesel, kerosene, fuel oil and petrochemicals, and is a key supplier for St Petersburg.

Other Ukrainian hits were reported for the second day running at key Russian Baltic Sea ports Ust-Luga and Vyborg.

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Ust-Luga remains ablaze after further damage from new strikes, while earlier at Vyborg an FSB combat icebreaker named Purga was hit and damaged.

Earlier this week the vast Baltic port of Primorsk was struck, as was the Bashneft-Ufaneftekhim refinery.

Ukraine is now seen as having massively improved its capacity to strike deep inside Russia, with the oil campaign causing a major headache for Putin.

Despite this, Volodymyr Zelensky admitted he is under huge pressure from the Trump administration to exchange the entire Donbas region for US security guarantees.

This would hand Putin his main territorial demand, but Zelensky warned it would leave Ukrainian — and European — security under constant threat from an aggressive Russia.

“The Americans are prepared to finalise these guarantees at a high level once Ukraine is ready to withdraw from Donbas,” he said.

“I would very much like the American side to understand that the eastern part of our country is part of our security guarantees.”

But he praised Trump for continuing Patriot missile defence deliveries to Ukraine despite the conflict in Iran.

In overnight strikes, Russian drones attacked Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions.