A person walks on the snow-covered Black Sea beach in Odesa on January 23, 2026, amid the Russian invasion in Ukraine. Oleksandr Gimanov, AFP
MANILA (UPDATED) -- Two Filipino seafarers were killed, one remains missing, and 12 others were injured after a series of Russian drone strikes hit commercial vessels operating in the Black Sea over the past two weeks, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said Monday.
DMW Secretary Hans Cacdac said nine commercial vessels carrying a total of 139 Filipino crew members were affected by the attacks in the northern Black Sea, particularly off southern Ukraine.
"We are sad to report that there have been 2 fatalities out of these attacks. 12 injured, and one missing," Cacdac said.
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He added that "the attacks have largely targeted bulk carriers and oil products or tankers," with "most ships sustained damage from unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or drone attacks."
According to the DMW, most of the vessels were struck while berthed, anchored, or shortly after departing Ukrainian ports.
Cacdac said the first Filipino fatality occurred on July 6, while the second was recorded on Sunday. Search operations for the missing Filipino crew member remain underway.
The DMW is also coordinating with the families of the deceased, while surviving crew members continue to receive medical treatment before they are repatriated to the Philippines.
"To date, 4 of the of the injured Filipino seafarers, so 4 of the 12 have already been repatriated, while efforts remain ongoing for the recovery, repatriation of the deceased, 2, and the missing crew members," Cacdac said.
The attacks come more than four years into the Russia-Ukraine war, as fighting increasingly affects civilian maritime traffic in the Black Sea.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces condemned the latest attack on a Guinea-Bissau-flagged and Turkish-owned civilian cargo vessel, describing it as an "act of terrorism."
The Ukrainian Navy has also been carrying out rescue operations for affected crews following each drone attack. Among those rescued were 17 Filipino crew members aboard the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged cargo ship Venturo.
The International Bargaining Forum (IBF) and the DMW had earlier designated the northern Black Sea region and all Ukrainian ports as a Warlike Operations Area (WOA) under DMW Advisory No. 41, Series of 2026.
Under the advisory, manning agencies and shipping companies are required to avoid or divert voyages away from these high-risk areas whenever possible. If voyages cannot be avoided, companies must first report them to the DMW. Filipino seafarers must also be informed of their right to refuse sailing before deployment.
Cacdac said the DMW is also looking into whether manning agencies and shipping companies complied with all required safety protocols before deploying Filipino seafarers to the war-risk area.
"We are looking into this matter already," Cacdac said. "We have the authority to exercise our disciplinary authority. Nagwa na natin yun sa Red Sea, nag-suspinde tayo ng mga manning agencies na sa tingin natin ay hindi isinaalang-alang ang safety ng mga tripulantin natin."
Ukraine is also pushing for greater international oversight of attacks on civilian shipping.
In a statement, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said he had discussed with the leadership of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) the deployment of an international monitoring mission to Ukrainian ports during President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's recent visit to London.
"We hope that this mission will begin its work as planned in the fall and will help document every act of maritime terror by Russia, paving the way for bringing those responsible to justice," Sybiha said.
The foreign minister also said Russia launched another missile strike on the Kharkiv region that killed at least four people and wounded 20 others, while guided bomb attacks in Zaporizhzhia killed at least three civilians and injured 33 more.
"Every delay in increasing pressure on Moscow costs more innocent lives. Russia must face overwhelming force, devastating sanctions, reduced oil revenues, complete diplomatic isolation, and justice. Terror must never be allowed to prevail," he said.