Drone attack on two freighters in the Sea of Azov claims five Azerbaijani sailors

Russian and Ukrainian Accounts

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian army announced that it had hit a total of five cargo ships during the night leading up to Friday, which, according to their account, were illegally located in the ports of Mariupol and Berdyansk in Ukrainian territory occupied by Russia. The commander of the drone troops of the Ukrainian army, Robert Brovdi, wrote on Telegram that they had "hit five ships that were illegally located in the ports of Mariupol and Berdyansk." According to the Ukrainian military, the attacked ships were loaded with grain, military goods, and fuel.

It is currently unclear whether the Ukrainian statement about five hit ships concerns the same incident with the five deaths in the Bay of Taganrog. Brovdi did not comment on whether the ships he named were those on which Azerbaijani citizens were killed. The ports of Mariupol and Berdyansk are located on the Sea of Azov.

The incident occurs against the backdrop of an increase in Russian and Ukrainian attacks on civilian ports and ships in the region, which has been ongoing since last year. Reports of drone attacks on cargo ships in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov have become more frequent in recent months.

Diplomatic Consequences for Azerbaijan

The attack has triggered diplomatic reactions. Azerbaijan, which has repeatedly attempted to mediate between Russia and Ukraine in the Nagorno-Karabakh war, now finds itself directly confronted with the consequences of the conflict for its sailors. Baku has not yet publicly assessed the incident politically, but has so far only communicated the facts about the crew and the ships.

The exact circumstances of the attack remain unclear. It is particularly unclear which actor deployed the lethal drones, whether the ships were in a port or on the open sea at the time of the attack, and what nationalities the remaining crew members had. International investigators have not yet published any independent findings.

Unclear Circumstances

The incident raises questions about the safety of civilian shipping in the Sea of Azov. The region is already considered a high-risk area for commercial shipping, as it borders both the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and the agreements reached on grain exports. According to Baku, Azerbaijani sailors are regularly deployed on ships in the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea.

The report about the attack was broadcast on Deutschlandfunk on June 05, 2026. The international reaction to the incident remains to be seen, while diplomatic tensions between the involved states are expected to continue to rise.