Ukraine escalates tensions after US hijack? Oil tanker off Turkey crippled as Russia fires back

An oil tanker bound for Russia’s port of Novorossiysk was reportedly hit by a drone in the Black Sea on January 8, with the Palau‑flagged Elbus suffering damage but safely diverting to Turkey’s port of Inebolu and all 25 crew members reported uninjured. The strike, which follows earlier Ukrainian attacks on Russian‑linked or sanctioned tankers using naval drones, comes as Moscow fumes over recent U.S. seizures of the Russian‑flagged Marinera (formerly Bella 1). Watch for all the details.