Four Azerbaijani citizens were killed and four others were injured in a Ukrainian drone attack on two cargo ships in the Taganrog Bay of the Sea of Azov in the early morning hours of 5 June.
On Friday, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry stated that the two foreign cargo ships — the Natra and Circon — had 25 Azerbaijanis on board.
Pro-government media did not disclose the attacking country name, citing only the Foreign Ministry’s claim that the ships did not belong to Azerbaijan.
Media has also reported that the cargo ships were empty and were attacked while en route from Turkey to Rostov-on-Don to load grain. One of the ships, the Natra, sailed under the flag of Belize, while the Circon was sailing under the flag of Palau.
‘Information about the dead and injured was provided by the Russian side. The wounded were hospitalised in the Yeysk city hospital’, the Foreign Ministry said.
According to the ministry, several employees of the Azerbaijan Embassy in Russia went to the site of the attack.
The statement did not reveal the identities of the dead and wounded citizens.
According to Ukraine, the targeted ships were illegally transporting sanctioned grain sourced from Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia.
Robert ‘Madyar’ Brovdi, the Commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces of the Ukrainian Army, stated that five ships were hit by drones ‘in the coastal waters of the temporarily occupied territories, as well as in the ports of Mariupol and Berdyansk’.
‘Transport by cargo ships and tankers renamed and disabled by Black Sea pirates for the transport of military cargo, fuel, and the secret theft of Ukrainian grain is not guaranteed. The hijackers’ smuggling logistics must be stopped’, Brovdi said.
Russia has harshly condemned the attacks, with its Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova saying strikes ‘confirm the terrorist nature of the Kyiv regime’.
The names of the Azerbaijani victims were shared on social media after the attack, with pro-government media reporting from the family homes of those killed.
Among those killed in the attack was 45-year-old Fuad Orujov, who was the captain of the Circon. His family says that his body is missing.
‘We don’t know where he is. There was information that he was killed, he was missing, and he lost his legs. But we don’t know where he is currently, we have no proper information about him’, his wife told local media.
His brother, Faig Orujov, said that five months ago, he left Azerbaijan to work at a Turkish company, later identified as Senemar Denizcilik.
Orujov’s assistant, Mahammad Aliyev, 29, was also killed in the attack. His brother, Elvin Aliyev, told local media that he had graduated from the Naval Academy and worked there for four years.
The captain of the Natra, 51-years-old Rajab Ahadov, was also among those killed.
Gismat Aliyev, the Circon’s senior engineer, suffered severe burns and died as a result of his injuries.
Pro-government media outlet APA wrote that the four Azerbaijani sailors who were injured during the attack were ‘doing well’ in treatment.
The names of the remaining crew members have not yet been released.
