Turkey urges Russia and Ukraine to secure Black Sea shipping after drone attack on two Turkish cargo vessels injures crew

The attack

On the evening of August 3, two Turkish-owned cargo ships, Nadezhda and Yasar, were struck by drones shortly after departing Russia's Novorossiysk port. The Nadezhda, a roll-on/roll-off vessel flying the Cameroon flag, was en route to Samsun, Turkey, with 22 crew members aboard, 13 of them Turkish citizens. The attack occurred approximately 20 nautical miles (37 kilometers) off the Russian coast. Explosions damaged the bow and crew cabins, igniting a fire that burned for hours. The Yasar, flagged to Panama, was also hit, though details of its damage and crew status were not immediately released.

Casualties and rescue

Three crew members on the Nadezhda were reported in serious condition, with some Turkish media outlets citing four injured. The BBC, citing the Turkish Maritime General Directorate, reported that 11 personnel from the Nadezhda were receiving treatment in Russian hospitals, while the remaining crew were placed in a hotel and in good health. Russian naval forces evacuated all 22 crew members to Novorossiysk, as rescue operations directly on board were deemed too risky due to the threat of further drone strikes. By Tuesday, the fire on the Nadezhda had been extinguished, and response planning was ongoing.

Turkey's response

Turkey's Foreign Ministry issued a sharp condemnation, calling on both Russia and Ukraine to take immediate concrete measures to ensure navigational safety in the Black Sea.

We are seriously concerned about the escalation of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine in the Black Sea, which, despite all our warnings, is affecting civilian navigation. If preventive measures are not taken, this escalation will have multiple negative repercussions, particularly on food security.

The ministry stressed that the safety of Turkish citizens was its top priority and that it was closely monitoring the situation. It did not assign blame for the attack. However, Nadezhda's captain, Yalçin Sahin, told the Turkish daily Cumhuriyet that Ukraine was responsible, claiming six to seven drones were used. That assertion has not been officially confirmed.

Escalating pattern

The August 3 strikes are the latest in a series of attacks on Turkish civilian vessels in the Black Sea. On May 28 and June 22, drone and missile strikes injured at least five Turkish sailors. In late June, a Turkish fishing boat was attacked near Crimea, leaving one dead and four wounded. In July, a Turkish cargo ship was hit near Odessa in what Ukraine described as a Russian missile attack, killing six. Turkey had already warned of an "uncontrolled escalation" after the May incident, and the latest attacks have intensified Ankara's calls for restraint.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry reiterated that without preventive steps, the spreading conflict would have "multidimensional negative repercussions, including on food security," a reference to the Black Sea's role as a key corridor for grain and other commodities.