Update. Robert Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces (known by the call sign “Madyar”), said that in the early hours of June 5, drones from his unit struck five vessels — dry cargo ships and a tanker — that he said were unlawfully present in the ports of Mariupol and Berdyansk and in the coastal waters of Russian-occupied territories.
The cargo ships Natra and Zircon, carrying 25 Azerbaijani nationals, were struck by drones in the Gulf of Taganrog in the Sea of Azov in the early hours of June 5.
Five Azerbaijanis were killed and three wounded, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry stated. The injured were taken to hospitals in Yeysk. The ships did not belong to Azerbaijan, Foreign Ministry representatives said; the sailors had been working aboard them voluntarily, not through any state arrangement. The ministry offered no further details.
The Azerbaijani outlet Minval Politika reported that those killed were Azerbaijani citizens serving as crew members on ships traveling from Turkey to Rostov-on-Don. Both vessels were sailing under foreign flags.
Russia’s Defense Ministry stated on the morning of June 5 that 123 Ukrainian drones had been destroyed overnight, including “over the waters of the Sea of Azov.”
Russia’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that the motor vessels Natra and Zircon were traveling from Turkey to the port of Rostov-on-Don under the flags of Belize and Palau respectively, when they were attacked by Ukrainian drones. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said a passing Russian vessel had assisted the injured sailors. She promised that Moscow would “assist its partners” in obtaining information about the circumstances of the incident and ensuring consular access to the Azerbaijanis.
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