Two Azerbaijani sailors killed in Black Sea tugboat drone attack near Odesa

Two Azerbaijani sailors have been killed after a tugboat was struck by drones in the Black Sea near the Ukrainian port of Odesa, in the latest attack on civilian shipping in the area. The Somali-flagged vessel TEDY was first hit near Odesa and then came under two further drone attacks overnight while sailing toward the Romanian port of Constanta. The incident has added to concerns over the safety of commercial crews operating in the Black Sea corridor.

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Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said the dead crew members were Aslan Aliyev and Asim Gasimov. It also said two other Azerbaijani sailors, Imran Novruzov and Rauf Aliyev, were hospitalised in the Ukrainian city of Chornomorsk with burn injuries. Six additional crew members received treatment at the scene, according to the same account.

The vessel had 10 crew members in total, including Azerbaijani, Turkish, German and Ukrainian nationals. The tugboat was owned by Mert Marine Corporation, according to the report. Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said it was coordinating with diplomatic missions and relevant authorities and was taking steps to repatriate the injured and handle procedures related to the deceased.

Ukraine's Ministry for Restoration, Infrastructure and Transport said Russia carried out the attack, describing it as part of a sustained campaign against civilian vessels and port infrastructure. Russia's Defence Ministry said it had struck two cargo vessels heading to Odesa and a tugboat, claiming the ships were carrying military supplies. The attack comes against the backdrop of repeated strikes on Black Sea shipping since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

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Chornomorsk is a major Ukrainian commercial port and one of the main terminals for grain exports, making it strategically important for Ukraine's economy and for international food supply routes. The Black Sea Grain Initiative, negotiated by Kyiv and Moscow with UN and Turkish supervision, previously allowed Ukrainian agricultural exports to resume before Russia withdrew from the deal in July 2023. Since that withdrawal, Russia has repeatedly targeted port infrastructure and vessels in the region, and attacks on civilian shipping have intensified since July, with several merchant ships flying third-country flags hit.

The latest incident is also notable because it involved a multinational crew and fatalities among Azerbaijani seafarers. It follows earlier attacks in the Sea of Azov in June, when five Azerbaijani citizens were killed on two vessels, underlining the wider risk to crews operating in nearby waters. What remains unclear is the full extent of the damage to the TEDY and whether any further crew members were injured beyond those already identified.

It is also not possible from the available information to independently verify responsibility for the attack, as the two sides have given conflicting accounts. The incident is likely to intensify scrutiny of maritime security in the Black Sea and the protection of civilian shipping near Ukrainian export routes.

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