Azerbaijan Confirms Six Deaths on Ships Serving Russia’s Logistics After Ukrainian Strike

Azerbaijan has confirmed that six of its citizens were killed following a Ukrainian drone strike on cargo vessels operating in the Azov Sea and supporting Russian logistics in temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories.

According to a statement published by Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on June 9, the bodies of Hismet Aliyev, born in 1969, and Fuad Orujov, born in 1981, bring the confirmed death toll among Azerbaijani nationals in the incident to six.

The ministry said the vessels were not Azerbaijani-owned, although 25 Azerbaijani citizens were aboard the ships at the time of the strike.

The ministry did not provide further details about the attack. However, Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces reported on June 5 that they had struck five Russian cargo vessels operating near occupied Berdiansk, Mariupol, and Yalta in the Azov Sea.

According to the Ukrainian military, the vessels were being used to support Russian military logistics and operations in occupied areas of Ukraine.

“Cargo vessels entering occupied ports play an important role in the logistical support of Russian forces. Every vessel involved in the enemy’s military logistics or participating in the illegal export of resources from occupied territories effectively finances the continuation of the war against Ukraine and is a legitimate target,” Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces stated.

According to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, four Azerbaijani citizens were initially reported killed and four others injured following the June 5 strike. Search-and-rescue efforts later led to the discovery of two additional bodies.

Separately, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry issued a public advisory on June 9 urging citizens to avoid participation in military activities abroad and to carefully assess security risks before traveling to regions affected by war.

“It is known that in the current international security environment, the continued growth of tensions, as well as armed conflicts in various regions of the world, including Ukraine and the Middle East, continue to pose a serious threat to international peace and security,” the ministry said. “Unfortunately, there are cases where citizens of Azerbaijan in such regions are killed or sustain injuries of varying severity as a result of armed clashes and military operations.”

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War in Ukraine

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According to maritime tracking data cited by Azerbaijani media, some of the vessels targeted on June 5 were operating routes between Turkish and Russian ports, including destinations linked to Russia’s logistics network in the Sea of Azov.

Azerbaijani authorities emphasized that the vessels were not connected to Azerbaijan beyond the presence of Azerbaijani crew members.

Earlier, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said in August 2025 that Azerbaijan’s support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity remains “unequivocal” and has not changed since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

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