Two Azerbaijani sailors killed in Black Sea tugboat drone attack
The Somali-flagged TEDY was hit near Odesa and struck twice more overnight, with two other crewmembers hospitalised with burns. Azerbaijan's foreign ministry did not attribute responsibility for the attack.
On Tuesday, two Azerbaijani sailors lost their lives after a tugboat was targeted by drones in the Black Sea. The incident occurred near Odesa, a Ukrainian port, and the tugboat involved was the TEDY, owned by Mert Marine Corporation. The vessel initially faced a drone attack near Odesa and later came under two more attacks overnight as it was en route to the Romanian port of Constanta.
Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry confirmed the deaths of Aslan Aliyev and Asim Gasimov, while two other crew members, Imran Novruzov and Rauf Aliyev, sustained burn injuries and were hospitalized in Chornomorsk, a Ukrainian city. Six other crew members received treatment on-site. The tugboat, which carried a total of ten crew members, including Azerbaijani, Turkish, German, and Ukrainian nationals, was carrying several crew members from different nationalities.
Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry stated that they were coordinating with diplomatic missions and authorities and were taking steps to repatriate the injured and handle matters concerning the deceased. However, they refrained from assigning blame for the attack. Meanwhile, Ukraine's Ministry for Restoration, Infrastructure, and Transport accused Russia of carrying out the attack, describing it as part of an ongoing campaign against civilian vessels and port infrastructure.
Russia's Defence Ministry, on the other hand, claimed responsibility, asserting that the strikes were against cargo vessels headed to Odesa and a tugboat, alleging that the ships contained military supplies. Kyiv did not comment on Russia's claim.
Chornomorsk, a significant Ukrainian commercial port on the Black Sea and a key terminal for Ukrainian grain exports, has been a frequent target of Russian attacks since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. The Black Sea Grain Initiative, established to allow Ukrainian agricultural exports to resume under UN and Turkish supervision, was abandoned by Russia in July 2023.
Subsequently, Russia has repeatedly targeted the port and its surroundings. Attacks on civilian shipping in the Black Sea have escalated since July, following the sinking of multiple merchant vessels flying third-country flags, prompting concerns about the safety of seafarers. This latest incident involving Azerbaijani sailors adds to the growing list of such attacks. In June, five Azerbaijani citizens were killed in attacks on two vessels in the Sea of Azov.
Written by urgent.news from Euronews's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
