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Azerbaijan Reports Drone Strike Kills Two On Tugboat Near Odesa

By Drooid · Sep 11, 2026, 1:19 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Azerbaijan Drone Strike

Azerbaijan reports a drone strike killed two of its citizens aboard the tugboat TEDY near Odesa.
The drone struck the tugboat on September 9, 2026, with a second hit on September 10.
Azerbaijani sailors Aslan Aliyev and Asim Gasimov were killed in the attack.
Crew members Imran Novruzov and Rauf Aliyev suffered burns and were hospitalized in Chornomorsk, Ukraine.
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry is coordinating with Ukrainian authorities to repatriate the injured and deceased.

Summary

Russia defends

Russia’s defence ministry said the tugboat was transporting supplies for the Ukrainian army.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned attacks would not harm Russia-Turkey relations.
Turkey urged both sides in August to impose a Black Sea vessel-attack moratorium.
Kyiv said it would accept the moratorium, but Moscow showed no interest.
Ukraine’s transport ministry called the strike part of Russia’s systematic campaign against civilian shipping.

History

Historical Context

In March 2014 Russia seized Crimea, raising its Black Sea Fleet by about 30% to roughly 70 warships by 2015, a move that expanded Moscow’s naval reach and heightened tensions with Ukraine and NATO. The September 2026 drone strike on the Azerbaijani-crewed tug near Odesa, condemned by Turkey, revives those Cold-War-era maritime rivalries and fuels NATO warnings that unchecked drone warfare threatens civilian shipping.

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Azerbaijan Drone Strike

Azerbaijan reports a drone strike killed two of its citizens aboard the tugboat TEDY near Odesa.
The drone struck the tugboat on September 9, 2026, with a second hit on September 10.
Azerbaijani sailors Aslan Aliyev and Asim Gasimov were killed in the attack.
Crew members Imran Novruzov and Rauf Aliyev suffered burns and were hospitalized in Chornomorsk, Ukraine.
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry is coordinating with Ukrainian authorities to repatriate the injured and deceased.

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