Zelensky said Kyiv had deployed several hundred military specialists to the Middle East following the outbreak of conflict involving Iran, aiming to share its experience in countering drone threats and safeguarding maritime routes.

“Ukrainian military personnel are taking part in consultations on the further operation of the Strait of Hormuz. Safe navigation is a global value; we know this from our experience defending the Black Sea,” Zelensky said in his evening address.

Ukraine has relied on asymmetric tactics and technological innovations during its war with Russia, including the use of naval drones, to counter attempts to restrict access to the Black Sea, a critical corridor for its economy and military operations.

Zelensky said interest in Ukraine’s defense capabilities is expanding beyond Europe, with diplomats receiving requests from Asian countries seeking cooperation on maritime security and related technologies.He did not identify the countries involved but said officials had been instructed to engage on the requests promptly.

Ukraine’s participation in Hormuz-related discussions reflects growing international focus on securing key maritime chokepoints amid ongoing geopolitical tensions affecting global energy and trade flows.

State news agencies TASS and RIA, citing the ministry, said the aircraft lost communication before going down on the Black Sea peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

The ministry said the dead included 23 passengers and six crew members, with no survivors reported.“The An-26 aircraft, with which communication was lost earlier, crashed into a cliff,” TASS quoted officials at the crash site as saying.

Authorities located the wreckage in Crimea, though further operational details were not immediately disclosed.Russia’s defense ministry did not provide additional comment outside regular business hours.

RIA news agency reported that, according to an initial assessment, technical problems were believed to have caused the crash.

No confirmation was given on whether an official investigation had been launched or if other factors were being examined.

The An-26 is a Soviet-era twin-engine turboprop widely used for military transport and logistics operations.

The captain of the Turkish-flagged Kafkametler had reported on Sunday morning that the ship was drifting toward a breakwater off Eregli, in northwest Turkey’s Zonguldak province, the provincial governor’s office said earlier.

Yerlikaya said the ship sunk after hitting the breakwater. The region was hit by powerful storms on Sunday and the governor’s office said the bad weather prevented air and sea vessels from carrying out searches.

“When the adverse weather conditions improve, search and rescue activities will start immediately,” Yerlikaya told reporters.

It’s reported that, UK-based Sayed Z Bukhari who is a Special Assistant to the Pakistan’s PM for Overseas Pakistanis, paid a brief visit to Israel in the last week of November, and he also talked about Pakistan’s participation in a joint naval exercise “Sea Breeze 2021” in the Black Sea.

It added that, Bukhari arrived at Ben Gurion Airport from Islamabad on a connecting flight to London, taking advantage of his British passport. No sooner he landed, he was transferred to Tel Aviv, where he met with senior officials in Israel’s Foreign Ministry. He then conveyed the message to the former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen from Pakistan PM Khan and Pakistani Chief of Staff Gen. Qamar Bajwa.

The Sea Breeze 2021 is a naval exercise that will be held between June 28 and July 10 in the Black Sea and will be cohosted by the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet and the Ukrainian Navy.

Israel will take part in the international exercise alongside Muslim countries, including Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey.

“Pakistan is one of the countries participating in the Sea Breeze exercise and the Pakistani military in Ukraine will arrive to be an observer”, the Pakistan Navy said.

The maneuvers in the Black Sea will involve over 5,000 troops, 32 vessels, 40 aircraft, and 18 diving and commando teams.

The historical naval exercise will have forces from 32 nations, namely the United States, Ukraine, Britain, Israel, Albania, Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, France, Georgia, Greece, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Morocco, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Senegal, Spain, South Korea, Sweden, Tunisia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.