Royad Mammadov Sunk by Russian Drones in Black Sea

Two Russian drones struck the Turkish cargo ship Royad Mammadov on October 5 in the Black Sea. Two crew members were killed and three were wounded. Eleven were pulled from the water; one remains missing.

The 139-metre ship had been carrying corn from a Ukrainian port when it caught fire and sank roughly 30 nautical miles south of Sfantu Gheorghe, inside Romania's exclusive economic zone. Romanian rescue services conducted the recovery. The crew included sailors from Azerbaijan and India.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attributed the attack to Moscow, calling it "a horrific strike by two Russian drones on a civilian vessel in neutral waters carrying corn."

The sinking comes after months of drone warfare in the Black Sea, including Ukraine's 11-week campaign that disabled 300 shadow tankers in the Azov Sea and Black Sea.