Azerbaijan says five of its citizens killed in attacks on vessels in Sea of Azov

Five Azerbaijani citizens were killed and three others injured in attacks on two cargo vessels in the Sea of Azov, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

Responding to a question about the vessels hit in Taganrog Bay, the ministry said the crews included 25 Azerbaijani citizens in total, but that the ships did not belong to Azerbaijan.

Earlier on Friday, Ukraine said that its drones had struck five ships in the ports of Mariupol and Berdyansk on the Sea of Azov, as well as in the coastal waters of Russian-controlled territories.

Robert Brovdi, the commander of Ukrainian drone forces, said in a statement that his drones had hit dry cargo ships and a tanker that were involved in "stealing" Ukrainian grain and transferring military cargo and fuel, with the names of the vessels painted over and their radars turned off.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin blamed Ukraine for the attacks on cargo vessels and expressed his condolences to the families of the Azerbaijani sailors.

"We know full well which country is using drones - both aerial and maritime - to attack civilian vessels in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. It is, so to speak, a well-known country," Galuzin was quoted by TASS news agency as saying.