15.08.2026 18:41
Ukraine has responded to the column written by journalist Abbas Çakar, the brother of Turkish sailor Savaş Çakar, who lost his life when a Turkish-flagged ship carrying coal from Russia to Trabzon was attacked by a drone off Novorossiysk. In a message sent from his official e-mail address, Commander of the Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces Robert Brovdi said of Çakar's brother, 'He got what he deserved.'
On July 21, the Turkish-flagged and unarmed dry cargo ship MV Reyhan Sarı, carrying coal from Russia's Taman Port to Trabzon, was attacked by Ukrainian drones off the coast of Novorossiysk. In the attack, 54-year-old seafarer Savaş Çakar, who was on duty in the engine room, lost his life, and 2 crew members were injured.
SENT A MESSAGE SAYING 'HE GOT WHAT HE DESERVED'
Çakar's brother, Kocaeli Gündem Editor-in-Chief Abbas Çakar, wrote two separate columns after his brother's death, calling for those responsible for the attack to be held accountable. Çakar announced that in his latest article, following his call to authorities, Ukrainian Commander of Unmanned Systems Forces Robert Brovdi directly responded to him.
According to Çakar, Brovdi, in an email sent from the official account of the Ukrainian state, said, 'Your brother chose this path consciously. His actions contributed to the enrichment of the Russian Federation and he got what he deserved.'
"THE MUNITIONS USED IN THE ATTACK VIOLATE THE GENEVA CONVENTIONS"
Describing what happened, Abbas Çakar said, 'These are ships carrying out purely commercial transportation. We learned that the munitions generally used in attacks on ships are heavy munitions that violate the Geneva Conventions and constitute war crimes. During this process, we experienced our grief and laid our deceased to rest.'
"MY ANGER HAS DOUBLED"
Abbas Çakar, who said he wrote an article to pour out his grief, said, 'Two days ago, a comment and an email regarding my article appeared before me. When I checked, I learned it was an official email account belonging to the Ukrainian military side. When I also checked the name at the top, I learned that he was the commander of these unmanned aerial vehicles. He sent a message defending this massacre entirely, saying, 'He got what he deserved' regarding this act, which counts as a war crime. I already had anger inside me; after receiving this email, my anger doubled.'
"I HAVE MY PAIN, BUT WHAT WEIGHS HEAVIER THAN MY PAIN IS MY ANGER, AND THIS ANGER DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO SUBSIDE"
Çakar said, 'For months, someone who commits such war crimes and treats this as a game rather than war has sent me an email. Can you expect a high-ranking commander of a country, commenting from the official email address of the state, to say words like 'He got what he deserved, he got what was coming to him' to a grieving person? Such a thing is impossible. This already shows how unqualified this person is. It is absolutely unacceptable. This situation fuels the anger inside me. I have my pain, but what weighs heavier than my pain is my anger, and this anger does not know how to subside. Not until the necessary legal process is initiated and the necessary results are obtained regarding these people. Many people tell me: 'You are rowing against the current.' I have lost a life. From this moment on, I will pursue this life everywhere. My brother is gone, my heart is gone, I buried him unjustly. I couldn't see his face one last time. I couldn't see him for months when he left. He has two children; one is a special needs individual.'