Two Azerbaijani sailors killed in Black Sea tugboat drone attack

Two Azerbaijani sailors were killed when a tugboat was struck by drones in the Black Sea on Tuesday, in the latest attack on civilian shipping near the Ukrainian port of Odesa.

The Somali-flagged tugboat TEDY, owned by Mert Marine Corporation, was first hit near Odesa before coming under two further drone attacks overnight as it sailed toward the Romanian port of Constanta.

Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry confirmed the deaths of crew members Aslan Aliyev and Asim Gasimov. Two other Azerbaijani sailors, Imran Novruzov and Rauf Aliyev, were hospitalised in the Ukrainian city of Chornomorsk with burn injuries. Six further crew members received treatment at the scene.

The vessel carried 10 crew members in total, including Azerbaijani, Turkish, German and Ukrainian nationals.

Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said it was coordinating with diplomatic missions and relevant authorities and was taking measures to repatriate the injured and carry out procedures relating to the deceased. It did not attribute responsibility for the attack.

Ukraine's Ministry for Restoration, Infrastructure and Transport said Russia had carried out the attack, describing it as part of a sustained campaign against civilian vessels and port infrastructure.

Russia's Defence Ministry said on Wednesday it had struck two cargo vessels heading to Odesa and a tugboat, claiming the ships were carrying military supplies. Kyiv did not comment on the Russian claim.

Chornomorsk is a major Ukrainian commercial port on the Black Sea and one of the principal terminals for Ukrainian grain exports.

Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, Kyiv and Moscow negotiated the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which allowed Ukrainian agricultural exports to resume under UN and Turkish supervision before Russia withdrew from the agreement in July 2023.

Russia has since targeted the port and its surrounding infrastructure repeatedly.

Attacks on civilian shipping in the Black Sea have intensified since July, when multiple merchant vessels flying the flags of third countries have been struck, raising concern about the risk to seafarers.

The attack on the TEDY is the latest in a series of incidents involving Azerbaijani sailors. Five Azerbaijani citizens were killed in attacks on two vessels in the Sea of Azov in June.