Ukrainian Drone Hits Russian Wheat Ship in Azov Sea, Killing 3

A Ukrainian drone strike targeted a Russian cargo ship carrying wheat in the Sea of Azov on April 5, killing three crew members and severely damaging the vessel, according to Russian officials. The incident, which occurred northeast of Crimea off the coast of the Kherson region, marked the first known attack on a grain-laden merchant ship along this major Black Sea-Azv Sea trading route since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The ship, a VolgoBalt 138-class bulk carrier with a deadweight of about 3,165 tons, was en route from the Port of Azov near Rostov to Port Kavkaz in the strait between Crimea and mainland Russia. Russian state media reported that the vessel caught fire and began to sink after the strike but was later located and towed to the village of Kuchugury in the Krasnodar region. Emergency services discovered two badly burned bodies aboard, raising the confirmed death toll to three, including an aide to the captain who had been reported dead earlier. The captain survived and was hospitalized, while most of the 12-member crew, all Russian nationals, abandoned the ship and reached shore near coastal villages such as Strilkove and Shchaslyvtseve.