Near Odesa, drones attacked the tugboat TEDY, killing two Azerbaijani sailors — Euronews
Two Azerbaijani sailors were killed in the Black Sea near Odesa September 9 as a result of a drone attack on the Somali-flagged tugboat TEDY. The vessel was heading to the Romanian port of Constanța when, after the first strike near Odesa, it came under two more attacks during the night, Euronews reports.
Dead and injured
Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the deaths of crew members Aslan Aliyev and Asim Gasimov. Two other Azerbaijani sailors, Imran Novruzov and Rauf Aliyev, were hospitalized in Chornomorsk with burns.
Six other crew members received assistance at the scene. There were 10 people aboard in total — citizens of Azerbaijan, Turkey, Germany, and Ukraine. The tugboat belongs to Mert Marine Corporation.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry said it was coordinating with diplomatic missions and relevant authorities to return the injured and carry out procedures concerning the dead. At the same time, the ministry did not name the party responsible for the attack.
Statements by Ukraine and Russia
Ukraine’s Ministry for Restoration, Infrastructure and Transport said that Russia carried out the strike, calling it part of an ongoing campaign of attacks on civilian vessels and port infrastructure. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, an aggressor state, reported the following day that strikes had been carried out on two cargo vessels heading to Odesa and on a tugboat.
The Russian ministry claimed that the vessels were transporting military cargo. The Ukrainian side did not comment on this claim. According to Euronews, attacks on civilian shipping in the Black Sea have intensified since July, with merchant vessels flying third-country flags coming under attack.
