Five Azerbaijani citizens killed by UAV strikes on ships in Sea of Azov

The Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that 25 Azerbaijani citizens were aboard two civilian vessels that were attacked by drones on the night of June 4–5 in the Sea of Azov. Five of them were killed.

This is according to a statement on the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry’s website published on Friday, June 5.

"Last night, drone attacks were carried out on two foreign cargo ships, which had a total of 25 Azerbaijani citizens on board," the statement said.

The ministry emphasized that these ships do not belong to Azerbaijan.

The aggressor country, russia, provided Baku with information stating that five Azerbaijani citizens were killed as a result of the drone attack. Three more people were injured.

The ministry added that the situation regarding Azerbaijani citizens, their repatriation, and the provision of consular support are being closely monitored.

The Azerbaijani news portal Axar reports that Azerbaijani sailors were aboard the dry cargo ships Natra (flying the Belize flag) and Zirkon (flying the Palau flag). It is claimed that both vessels were traveling from Turkey to the port of Rostov-on-Don to load grain.

The Natra was attacked by four drones, killing two crew members. The sailors were able to extinguish the fire on their own, but the dry cargo ship requires towing.

The Zirkon was also attacked by four drones. All of them struck the deck superstructure, causing a fire. Three crew members were killed as a result of the strikes. The rest abandoned the ship in lifeboats.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, on the night of June 5, the Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) of the Armed Forces of Ukraine struck four dry cargo ships and a tanker in the Sea of Azov. The vessels were in the coastal waters of the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia Regions and were being used to transport stolen grain, military cargo, and fuel.

As a reminder, on the night of June 3–4, the Ukrainian military struck a russian patrol ship in the waters of the Sea of Azov.