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Drones Strike Two Ships Off Bulgaria's Black Sea Coast

8:19 AM ETConfirmed

World Desk

In Short: Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said drones struck two ships off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast, sinking one and prompting emergency rescue operations.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev announced Tuesday that drones struck two ships off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast, sinking one and prompting emergency rescue operations, according to ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos. Rescuers evacuated all 15 crew members from the Maltese-flagged Chelsea 3, with five receiving treatment for minor injuries, Radev said in a video posted to social media.

The strikes occurred 20 miles and 21 miles (32 and 34 kilometers) from the Bulgarian coast, ABC News reported. Radev said he would summon the Russian ambassador to Bulgaria, Eleonora Mitrofanova, for a conversation Tuesday.

According to The New Voice of Ukraine (Ukraine), a Ukrainian-owned, Malta-flagged ship managed by an Odesa-based company was hit by drones off the Bulgarian coast in the Black Sea, drawing an immediate reaction from Ukraine’s foreign ministry. The New Voice of Ukraine reported that the ship was hit by three aerial drones, and shortly afterward, another ship was hit and sank.

Hürriyet Daily News (Türkiye) reported that the rescued crew comprised 11 Turkish and seven Indian nationals, according to Radev. The search was launched about 70 nautical miles east of the coastal town of Byala after the Togolese-flagged vessel sank, authorities said.

Al Jazeera (Qatar) and Arabnews (Saudi Arabia) reported that the dual strike came a day after another ship caught fire and sank off the Romanian coast, killing one and leaving one missing, in what Ukraine said was a drone attack launched by Russia.

While authorities do not possess clear evidence on who was responsible for the drone attacks, Radev said in a video posted to social media that logic indicates the result is in favor of the Russian Federation. However, he stopped short of directly accusing Russia of carrying out the attacks.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha condemned the strike, accusing Moscow of deliberately disregarding civilian lives and maritime security in the Black Sea. He called the attack “absolutely unacceptable,” noting that the ship sent a distress call at 1:30 a.m. while positioned 18 nautical miles east of Byala.

The conflict has also spread across the eastern Black Sea, with at least 45 merchant vessels attacked over the past 12 months in areas of the Black Sea previously not listed as high risk, the maritime risk management group Ambrey said last month.

Radev said Bulgaria is suffering significant economic and financial damage and added that his country will initiate talks with neighboring Romania and Turkey on joint proposals to guarantee the safety of shipping in the Black Sea.

Although the exact circumstances of these incidents are still being established, the developments are very concerning, according to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

The accounts from ABC News, The New Voice of Ukraine, Hürriyet Daily News, Al Jazeera, and Arabnews agree that drones struck two ships off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast, sinking one and prompting emergency rescue operations. The rescued crew comprised 11 Turkish and seven Indian nationals, and the incident occurred around 1:30 a.m. off the coast of Bulgaria.

The reports also agree that the attacks are a significant concern for maritime security in the Black Sea and that the incident is likely linked to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, although direct evidence of responsibility is still being investigated.

What this adds

Background

What's confirmed

• “Russia’s latest attack on commercial vessels near Bulgaria’s territorial waters, which injured Ukrainian and Azerbaijani citizens, once again demonstrates Moscow’s deliberate disregard for civilian lives and maritime security in the Black Sea,” Sybiha wrote.
• Two ships were struck off the Bulgarian coast on Oct. 13, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said, adding that he would summon the Russian ambassador over the latest such incident in the Black Sea.
• The conflict has also spread across the eastern Black Sea, with at least 45 merchant vessels attacked over the past 12 months in areas of the Black Sea previously not listed as high risk, the maritime risk management group Ambrey said last month.
• SOFIA: Bulgarian authorities launched a major search on Tuesday for the missing crew of a ship that sank in the Black Sea after drones hit two vessels in what the prime minister slammed as an “absolutely unacceptable” attack.
• Turkiye’s Chamber of Maritime Commerce (IMEAK) said in August that since the start of the war, 226 civilian and commercial vessels have been attacked in the Black Sea, the vast majority this year.
• “This is an unacceptable attack in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone. It is a blatant violation of international law and maritime law,” Radev said.
• The search was launched about 70 nautical miles east of the coastal town of Byala after the Togolese-flagged vessel sank, authorities said.
• Morning Rundown: Trump weighs firing Kimberly Guilfoyle, ‘furious’ judge halts tree removal at D.C. golf course, and Bills beat Rams in instant classic Eleven sailors were missing at sea on Tuesday from a ship sunk by a drone attack off the coast of Bulgaria, possibly the second deadly sinking of a cargo vessel in the area in a week, prompting Bulgaria to summon Russia’s ambassador.

What's still developing

• The 136-meter vessel was later left without its crew near Cape St. Athanasius.
• The intensifying violence comes amid a broader Russian campaign against Ukrainian port infrastructure and commercial shipping.
• Hungarian lawmakers on Oct. 13 voted to remove anti-LGBT provisions in a 2021 “child protection” law adopted under nationalist ex-leader Viktor Orban.
• Russia has been bombing Ukrainian Black Sea ports, forcing Ukraine to rely increasingly on river ports along the Danube and shipping routes close to the coasts of NATO members Bulgaria and Romania.

Sources

• ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videoslink
• Hürriyet Daily Newslink
• Kuwait Timeslink
• Kyivindependentlink
• NBC Newslink
• The New Voice of Ukrainelink
• UNITED24 Medialink
• Arabnewslink
• Al Jazeeralink
• Hurriyetdailynewslink
• AFPlink
• Eaworldviewlink
• Ariselink
• Splash247link
• Enlink
• WarpBeat — background on Drones Strike Two Ships Off Bulgaria's Black Sea Coast link
• euronews — video link