OMM Redaksiyası
A foreign cargo vessel carrying Azerbaijani citizens was attacked by drones in the Black Sea, killing two Azerbaijani sailors.
According to Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the victims were Aslan Aliyev and Asim Gasimov. Two other Azerbaijani citizens, Imran Novruzov and Rauf Aliyev, were injured in the attack.
The injured men are receiving treatment at a hospital in Chornomorsk, a city in southwestern Ukraine. They are expected to return to Azerbaijan after undergoing medical examinations and treatment.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed condolences to the families and relatives of those killed and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
“We once again call on Azerbaijani citizens to refrain from traveling to areas where military operations are ongoing or the security situation is unstable, from working in those areas, and from working on means of transport, including ships, operating along these routes,” the ministry said in a statement.
According to the report, four Azerbaijani citizens were members of the crew of the tugboat “TEDY,” which sails under the Somali flag. The vessel was initially attacked by drones near Odesa in southwestern Ukraine.
While the damaged vessel was heading toward the Romanian port of Constanta, it came under two more drone attacks. Aslan Aliyev and Asim Gasimov were killed in the latest attack.
Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not identify those behind the attack. The ministry said it was coordinating its work on the matter with the authorities of the “relevant countries.”
In June this year, five Azerbaijani citizens were killed and three others injured in drone attacks on the “Natra” and “Zircon” cargo ships in the Taganrog Gulf of the Sea of Azov.
The Black Sea is a key maritime route linking ports in the region, while ongoing military activity has increased risks for commercial shipping and civilian crews. Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry has repeatedly urged its citizens to exercise caution in conflict-affected and unstable areas.
