Russian Strike on tugboat: foreign sailors killed and Injured in Odesa Region

On September 10, the Black Sea region was once again subjected to an attack that resulted in tragic consequences for international civilian shipping. Russian forces launched a targeted attack on the foreign-flagged civilian tugboat «TEDY» in the Odesa region. A series of drone strikes claimed the lives of two foreign sailors, while several other crew members sustained severe injuries. Details of the tragedy were released by Ukraine’s Ministry for Restoration and Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The civilian vessel, carrying an international crew of ten, was attacked twice. Russian drones delivered the first strike on the morning of September 10 near Odesa. Despite the damage sustained, the crew managed to continue moving and set a course for the Romanian port of Constanța. However, the aggressor launched a second raid on the damaged vessel during the night, and it was this callous attack that resulted in casualties.

The tugboat’s crew included citizens of Azerbaijan, Turkey, Germany, and Ukraine, but the brunt of the strike fell on the Azerbaijani crew members. Sailors Aslan Aliyev and Asim Gasimov were killed instantly in the attack. Two other Azerbaijani citizens, Imran Novruzov and Rauf Aliyev, were rushed to the Chornomorsk city hospital with burns and injuries of varying severity. The remaining six crew members received necessary medical attention at the scene and did not require hospitalization. Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs promptly responded to the tragedy by issuing an official statement. Baku expressed deep condolences to the families of the deceased and confirmed that diplomats are coordinating with Ukrainian authorities on the treatment of the wounded, their subsequent return home, and the repatriation of the bodies of the deceased. At the same time, Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry issued a stern warning to its citizens, urging them to strictly refrain from working on vessels and transport vehicles operating along dangerous and unstable routes in the Black Sea.

For its part, Ukraine’s Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development emphasizes that Russia continues to systematically destroy the region’s transport and port infrastructure, posing a direct threat to the lives of Ukrainian and foreign seafarers. The Ukrainian side is already documenting all details of this war crime to inform the International Maritime Organization and foreign partners.