Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev has summoned the Russian ambassador following drone attacks on two commercial vessels near Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast. One of the ships has sunk, while 10 crew members are reported missing.
According to Bulgarian Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov, six crew members from the HS Dignity, sailing under the flag of Guinea-Bissau, were rescued. The vessel sank approximately 31 kilometres east of the village of Krapets after issuing a distress signal.
The other vessel, Chelsea-3, which is Ukrainian-owned, was struck by drones near the town of Byala. All 15 crew members were rescued, while five are receiving medical treatment for minor injuries.
This is the second such incident in just a few days in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea. Last week, two other commercial vessels were struck by maritime and aerial drones. One of them, Alfa Watan, sank, and all 10 crew members, including nine Syrian nationals, are presumed dead.
Following the latest attacks, Prime Minister Rumen Radev convened an emergency meeting and sought explanations from Russian Ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanova. He said there was no conclusive evidence yet identifying those responsible, but added that the developments appeared to serve Russia’s interests.
The Russian ambassador, for her part, said she had received no information from Russia’s Defence Ministry about the latest attacks. She also raised the possibility that the incident could have been a provocation orchestrated by a third party.
Bulgarian Defence Minister Stoyanov said Russia was suspected of being behind the drone attacks, arguing that it would make little sense for Ukraine to target its own vessels. However, responsibility for the attacks has not been officially confirmed.
NATO Raises Security Concerns
The situation has also raised concerns within NATO. Radev held talks with the alliance’s Secretary General, Mark Rutte, who assured him that NATO would continue cooperating with allied countries in the Black Sea region and strengthen security measures if necessary.
The vessels were struck outside Bulgaria’s territorial waters but within its exclusive economic zone. Bulgarian authorities say the escalation of the conflict in the Black Sea is increasingly approaching the country’s maritime borders.
Ukraine has directly accused Russia of carrying out the attacks, while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned that the Black Sea is becoming another flashpoint in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Moscow has not publicly commented on the latest incidents. Russia maintains that its attacks in the Black Sea target vessels transporting weapons and military-use materials to Ukrainian ports. Ukraine and its European allies, however, say commercial ships carrying grain and civilian goods are also being targeted.
Global Food Security at Risk
Russia and Ukraine are among the world’s leading grain exporters, making the security of maritime transport in the Black Sea critically important to global food supplies.
Turkey has called on both sides to halt attacks in the region.
The full-scale war between Russia and Ukraine began in February 2022, when Moscow launched its invasion of its neighbouring country. Russia currently controls approximately 20% of Ukrainian territory.
