Five dead following drone attack on cargo ships in Sea of Azov waters

Baku (ANTARA) - Two foreign cargo ships manned by 25 Azerbaijani nationals were attacked by drones, resulting in five deaths and three injuries, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Friday.

Azerbaiian media reported that the cargo ships Natra and Zircon, sailing from Türkiye to Rostov-on-Don to load wheat, were struck by drones on Thursday night local time in the Sea of Azov. The attack claimed the lives of five Azerbaijani citizens.

“Last night, two foreign cargo ships manned by a total of 25 Azerbaijani nationals were attacked by drones. Based on information received from the Russian side, five Azerbaijanis died and three others were injured as a result of the attack. The injured are being treated at a hospital in the city of Yeysk,” the ministry stated.

The Sea of Azov is an inland body of water in Eastern Europe located north of the Black Sea. It is connected via the Kerch Strait and is surrounded by Russian territory to the north, east, and south, and Ukraine to the west and northwest, including the Crimean Peninsula.

The Natra, flying the flag of Belize and which lost two crew members in the attack, was hit by four drones, according to the Azerbaijani news agency Trend. A fire broke out but was successfully extinguished by the crew. The vessel remains afloat and requires towing assistance; two tugboats have reportedly been deployed to assist the Natra.

Four attacks against the Zircon, flying the flag of Palau, killed three crew members, according to Trend. The crew abandoned the ship using lifeboats. The vessel remains afloat despite catching fire, the news agency reported, citing the Taman Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre.

Survivors were rescued by three passing ships, and by Friday morning, all rescued sailors had been brought to the port of Yeysk, Russia.

There were 12 crew members on the Natra and 14 on the Zircon. The Azerbaijani nationals on both ships were working as private contract seafarers. Both vessels were reported to have no connection to the state of Azerbaijan.

Earlier on Friday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin told reporters that the Ukrainian government was behind the drone attacks on the cargo ships in the Sea of Azov.

The Sea of Azov is known as one of the shallowest seas in the world, with an average depth of only about 7 to 12 metres, and is currently a significant geopolitical and maritime focal point between Russia and Ukraine.