5 Azerbaijani crew members killed in sea of Azov cargo ship attack

An overnight drone attack on two cargo ships in the Sea of Azov left five Azerbaijani crew members dead.

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry said five of its citizens were killed and three others were wounded during an early morning attack on two commercial vessels, the Natra and the Zircon.

A ministry spokesperson said that while the ships are not state-owned Azerbaijani property, they were carrying a crew of 25 Azerbaijani nationals when the strike occurred in Taganrog Bay — a narrow northeastern arm of the Sea of Azov bordered by Russia’s Krasnodar and Rostov regions.

Officials in Baku said they were coordinating emergency responses with domestic government agencies, diplomatic missions and the “competent authorities of the respective countries.”