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Russia accuses Ukraine of killing Azerbaijani nationals in drone attack on ships

By Reuters Reuters
A cargo vessel identified as NATRA, damaged by a Ukrainian drone in an undefined location in Azov sea, is seen in this still image taken from a video released on June 5, 2026. Public Television of Azerbaijan/Handout via REUTERS
A cargo vessel identified as NATRA, damaged by a Ukrainian drone in an undefined location in Azov sea, is seen in this still image taken from a video released on June 5, 2026. Public Television of Azerbaijan/Handout via REUTERS PUBLIC TELEVISION OF AZERBAIJAN Reuters

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MOSCOW - Russia accused Ukraine on Friday of killing Azerbaijani crew on board two cargo vessels headed for a Russian port, in a drone attack which Baku said had killed at least five of its citizens.

Ukraine said earlier on Friday that its drones had struck five ships in the ports of Mariupol and Berdyansk on the Sea of Azov, as well as in the coastal waters of Russian-controlled territories.

Robert Brovdi, the commander of Ukrainian drone forces, said in a statement that his drones had hit dry cargo ships and a tanker that were involved in "stealing" Ukrainian grain and transferring military cargo and fuel, with the names of the vessels painted over and their radars turned off.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said two ships - the Natra and Zircon - had been sailing from Turkey to Rostov-on-Don in southern Russia when they came under attack from Ukrainian drones.

"The circumstances of the incident are being investigated. According to available information, the vessels were attacked by Ukrainian drones, which once again confirms the terrorist nature of the Kyiv regime, which is increasingly targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure," the ministry said in a statement.

Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said that the crews on board the ships included 25 Azerbaijani citizens in total. It said the ships did not belong to Azerbaijan.

Russia's Foreign Ministry conveyed its condolences to the families of those who had been killed and said it was in contact with the Azerbaijani authorities and would provide all necessary assistance.

(Reporting by ReutersWriting by Maxim RodionovEditing by Andrew Osborn, Toby Chopra and Gareth Jones)

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.

This story was originally published June 6, 2026 at 3:26 AM.

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