Turkish Sailor Killed in Drone Strike on Coal Bulker Off Russia's Novorossiysk

At least one Turkish sailor was killed and others wounded following a drone strike on a Türkiye-flagged coal bulker off Russia’s port of Novorossiysk on Wednesday, amid intensified Ukrainian attacks on shipping in the Azov and Black seas.

The Istanbul-registered MV Reyhan Sari was carrying coal from Russia’s Taman Port to Trabzon in Türkiye when it was struck by a UAV. A crew member working in the engine room died at the scene of the impact, Türkiye Today reported on Wednesday.

The ship was able to continue under its own power and reach waters off Samsun, two injured crew members were evacuated by helicopter and taken to hospitals in the city, according to a statement from operating company cited by the media.

Speaking to the Ihlas News Agency (IHA), one crew member said that the attack took place around 1:30 AM.

“They hit my cabin with a drone. They pulled me out from under the wreckage,” he reportedly said. “While I was in the sickbay, the second explosion happened. They blew up the deck completely. There were dead and wounded there.”

According to Ukraine’s drone forces commander, Robert Brovdi, Ukrainian forces struck a total of 13 ships on Tuesday and Thursday in the Azov and Black seas, “one tanker, 10 dry cargo ships and two tugboats.”

It was not the first time Turkish ships have been struck by suspected Ukrainian drones. In March, a Ukraine-blacklisted tanker belonging to a Turkish shipping company was struck by drones near Bosphorus after taking on oil at Novorossiysk.

Russia has also escalated strikes on Ukrainian military logistics in the Black Sea and in the Odessa Region in recent weeks, targeting cargo vessels and facilities Moscow believes are involved in delivering materiel or supporting Kiev’s drone operations.

Overnight on Wednesday, Russian forces hit port infrastructure in Odessa used to unload and store military cargo, as well as fuel and lubricant tanks intended for the Ukrainian army, the Russian Defense Ministry has reported.

The Kremlin has stressed that attacks on vessels used to transport military cargo to Ukraine will continue as part of a broader move to sever Kiev’s naval logistics in response to Ukrainian terrorist attacks on Russian civilian and energy infrastructure.