Two Azerbaijani sailors, Aslan Aliyev and Asim Gasimov, were killed when their tugboat, the Somali-flagged TEDY, was attacked by drones in the Black Sea near Odesa on Tuesday. Two other Azerbaijani sailors were hospitalized with burn injuries, while six others received treatment at the scene for minor injuries. Ukraine's Ministry for Restoration, Infrastructure and Transport attributed the attack to Russia, stating it is part of a sustained campaign against civilian vessels and port infrastructure. The incident is one in a series of attacks on civilian shipping in the Black Sea, which have intensified since July 2023, and marks the latest incident involving Azerbaijani sailors after five were killed in June.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-11,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Two sailors, Aslan Aliyev and Asim Gasimov, from Azerbaijan, were killed when a tugboat, TEDY, was attacked by drones in the Black Sea near the Ukrainian port of Odesa on Tuesday. The tugboat, which is registered in Somalia but owned by Mert Marine Corporation, was struck twice overnight while sailing towards the Romanian port of Constanta after an initial attack near Odesa. In addition to the two fatalities, two other Azerbaijani sailors, Imran Novruzov and Rauf Aliyev, were hospitalized with burn injuries in the Ukrainian city of Chornomorsk. The vessel had a total of 10 crew members, including nationals from Azerbaijan, Turkey, Germany, and Ukraine. Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry is coordinating with diplomatic missions to repatriate the injured and handle procedures for the deceased.
Written for “Black Sea Tugboat Attack” on 2026-09-12,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted
verbatim and was checked against the article text before being
stored, so you can find it in the original.
Leaning score -0.35 for article 7885 (medium confidence, 2 verified quotes) · logged 2026-09-11
The Somali-flagged TEDY was hit near Odesa and struck twice more overnight, with two other crewmembers hospitalised with burns.
asserted
crewmembers → flag → burns
Azerbaijan's foreign ministry did not attribute responsibility for the attack.
asserted
ministry → attribute → attack
Two Azerbaijani sailors were killed when a tugboat was struck by drones in the Black Sea on Tuesday, in the latest attack on civilian shipping near the Ukrainian port of Odesa.
asserted
tugboat → kill → Odesa
The Somali-flagged tugboat TEDY, owned by Mert Marine Corporation, was first hit near Odesa before coming under two further drone attacks overnight as it sailed toward the Romanian port of Constanta.
asserted
it → flag → Constanta
Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry confirmed the deaths of crew members Aslan Aliyev and Asim Gasimov.
asserted
Ministry → confirm → members
Two other Azerbaijani sailors, Imran Novruzov and Rauf Aliyev, were hospitalised in the Ukrainian city of Chornomorsk with burn injuries.
asserted
sailors → hospitalise → injuries
Six further crew members received treatment at the scene.
asserted
members → receive → scene
The vessel carried 10 crew members in total, including Azerbaijani, Turkish, German and Ukrainian nationals.
asserted
vessel → carry → nationals
Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said it was coordinating with diplomatic missions and relevant authorities and was taking measures to repatriate the injured and carry out procedures relating to the deceased.
asserted
it → say → deceased
It did not attribute responsibility for the attack.
asserted
It → attribute → attack
Ukraine's Ministry for Restoration, Infrastructure and Transport said Russia had carried out the attack, describing it as part of a sustained campaign against civilian vessels and port infrastructure.
asserted
Russia → say → vessels
Russia's Defence Ministry said on Wednesday it had struck two cargo vessels heading to Odesa and a tugboat, claiming the ships were carrying military supplies.
asserted
ships → say → supplies
Kyiv did not comment on the Russian claim.
uncertain
Kyiv → comment → claim
Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, Kyiv and Moscow negotiated the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which allowed Ukrainian agricultural exports to resume under UN and Turkish supervision before Russia withdrew from the agreement in July 2023.
asserted
Russia → follow → July
Russia has since targeted the port and its surrounding infrastructure repeatedly.
asserted
Russia → target → port
Attacks on civilian shipping in the Black Sea have intensified since July, when multiple merchant vessels flying the flags of third countries have been struck, raising concern about the risk to seafarers.
asserted
vessels → intensify → seafarers
The attack on the TEDY is the latest in a series of incidents involving Azerbaijani sailors.
asserted
attack → involve → sailors
Five Azerbaijani citizens were killed in attacks on two vessels in the Sea of Azov in June.
asserted
citizens → kill → June
