BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 5. On the night of June
5, 2026, in the Taganrog Bay of the Azov Sea, UAVs attacked two
cargo ships, the Natra and the Zircon, en route in ballast from
Türkiye to Rostov-on-Don to load grain, resulting in the death of
five people, Trend
reports, citing Azerbaijani media, with reference to data from the
Taman Maritime Rescue and Coordination Center received at 3:04 a.m.
Moscow time.
"Four UAV hits were recorded on the Natra; two crew members were
killed, the fire was extinguished by the crew, the vessel remains
afloat and requires towing. Four hits were also recorded on the
Zircon ship near the superstructure, three crew members were
killed, the crew abandoned the ship in lifeboats, and the vessel is
burning," the operational report said.
The Natra ship (flagged by Belize) was carrying 12 people, while
the Zircon (flagged by Palau) was carrying 14. All were Azerbaijani
citizens privately employed as hired seamen. Both vessels fly
foreign flags and have no affiliation with the Azerbaijani state.
The attacks occurred just over an hour apart: the Natra was hit at
12:45 AM, and the Zircon at 1:55 AM.
The survivors were picked up by three vessels passing the area
of the tragedy. By morning, all the rescued sailors were
transported to the port of Yeysk. Two tugboats were dispatched to
tow the damaged Natra, which remained afloat.
