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Eleven sailors missing after drone sinks ship off Bulgaria
Authorities said 11 sailors were missing after one cargo ship sank and 15 crew members were rescued from another vessel hit by three drones.
On Tuesday, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev reported drones struck two commercial vessels in the Black Sea, sinking one and hitting the Ukrainian-owned, Maltese-flagged Chelsea 3 about 18 nautical miles off Byala; all 15 crew members were rescued.
These incidents follow a similar drone attack on October 6 involving two other merchant ships within Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone, intensifying maritime security threats near NATO coastal waters.
Prime Minister Radev summoned Russian Ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanova, stating Bulgaria lacks 'solid and unambiguous evidence' to blame a specific party while arguing 'the logic suggests that the outcome benefits the Russian Federation.'
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned the strikes, calling the Black Sea 'another front of escalation of the Russian war in Ukraine' and warning that attacks threaten global food security.
Bulgaria is seeking technical assistance from NATO and the European Union to strengthen maritime and air surveillance, aiming to establish drone origins and improve response capabilities amid escalating maritime threats.
At least 10 people are missing after two merchant ships were attacked off the coast of Bulgaria last night. The incident prompted Romanian Prime Minister Radev to summon Russia's ambassador. "Logic shows that the result wins the Russian federation," Radev writes on X.