A commercial vessel carrying corn sank in the Black Sea after a Russian drone attack sparked a fire aboard, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, as Romanian authorities reported that two people had died and 11 crew members had been rescued.
Mr Zelensky described the incident as “a horrific strike by two Russian drones on a civilian vessel” sailing through neutral waters.
- Advertisement -
He said the ship was Turkish-owned and that Azerbaijani and Indian nationals were among those on board. Russia did not immediately comment on the reported attack.
The vessel was inside Romania’s exclusive economic zone, roughly 30 nautical miles (1.8km) south of Sfantul Gheorghe in Tulcea County.
A horrific strike by two Russian drones on a civilian vessel in neutral waters carrying corn and owned by Türkiye. Azerbaijani and Indian citizens were on board. As of now, unfortunately, we know that the ship’s captain was killed. My condolences. The fate of one other person is still being established. Eleven crew members were rescued, one of them injured. Ukraine has repeatedly proposed concrete steps to de-escalate the situation and ensure security in the Black Sea. There have also been relevant proposals from third countries. But Russia consistently chooses terror and sinking civilian vessels instead of normal maritime navigation. Pressure is needed to restore global food security. And everyone who is genuinely interested in this must help.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) October 5, 2026
Romania’s ministry did not say what caused the blaze. Local news channels reported that a Turkish grain carrier had been hit by a drone southeast of a Black Sea oil platform, but officials did not confirm those details.
Romania’s Naval Authority identified the vessel as the Royad Mammadov and said the incident involved a fire on board.
According to the shipping website MarineTraffic, the general cargo ship was registered under the flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis. The vessel had left Ukraine’s port of Izmail and was sailing toward Italy.
“Eleven crew members have been rescued. Two deceased individuals have also been located,” the ministry said. It added that a helicopter had used a winch to lift injured people from the ship for emergency treatment.
Read more:
Latest Ukraine stories
Mr Zelensky said the captain was among those killed, while the fate of another crew member remained unclear.
“Ukraine has repeatedly proposed concrete steps to de-escalate the situation and ensure security in the Black Sea. There have also been relevant proposals from third countries,” he said.
“But Russia consistently chooses terror and sinking civilian vessels instead of normal maritime navigation.”
The Black Sea is a vital corridor for commercial shipping and has come under increased security pressure since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
In August, Romania scrambled two F-16 fighter jets to destroy a naval drone carrying explosives that had been detected near the Neptun Deep gas platform.
Romania’s navy has destroyed nine drifting sea mines in the Black Sea since the war began, according to the Ministry of National Defence.
