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NATO Boosts Black Sea Presence After Drone Attacks
Confirmed
In Short: NATO is bolstering its presence in the Black Sea with additional patrol aircraft and intelligence personnel, a spokesman for the alliance announced, in response to a series of deadly drone attacks in the region.
NATO is bolstering its presence in the Black Sea with additional patrol aircraft and intelligence personnel, a spokesman for the alliance announced, in response to a series of deadly drone attacks in the region. The attacks, widely attributed to Russia but denied by the Kremlin, have raised concerns over maritime security and grain exports.
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned that six attacks in 10 days by suspected Russian drones mark a dangerous escalation, likely aimed at choking off revenue to Kyiv from grain exports. She described the situation as a 'perfect storm' for global food supplies, exacerbated by droughts and conflicts in other regions.
At least five cargo vessels were hit near the coasts of Romania and Bulgaria over the past 10 days, resulting in at least 23 sailors missing or dead. The most recent incident involved a ship off Bulgaria's coast, where drones struck and set ablaze two chemical tankers, leading to the disappearance of seven sailors.
NATO's decision to increase its presence in the Black Sea came after the North Atlantic Council discussed security in the region at the alliance's Brussels headquarters. NATO spokesperson Allison Hart said the alliance has already strengthened its posture along the eastern flank with counter-drone capabilities, and more assets are being deployed to the Black Sea.
Romanian fighter jets shot down two high-speed drones over NATO territory this weekend, marking an escalation in the Black Sea crisis. NATO military spokesperson Martin O'Donnell emphasized that the alliance's immediate priority is improving situational awareness in the region through additional surveillance equipment and intelligence sharing.
Romanian Defense Minister Radu Miruță identified the downed drones as advanced Russian-made Geran-4 aircraft, while Bulgarian Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova called for more support from NATO and the European Union. Bulgarian President Radev denounced the drone attacks as an 'unacceptable attack' and a 'blatant violation of international law'.
The Atlantic Council recently recommended that NATO increase its military capabilities, position additional forces in the Baltics and Eastern Europe, establish a maritime force in the Black Sea, and bolster its presence in the Arctic to counter Russia's growing military strength and increasingly aggressive behavior.
While NATO has not directly attributed the recent spate of attacks to any country, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blamed Russia, warning that Moscow was preparing a broader 'massive strike'.
What this adds
The targets were identified as jet-powered attack drones from the Geran family, which Russia uses in its war against Ukraine. Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Țoiu previously said Russia is responsible for attacks on four merchant ships in the Black Sea, leaving eight people dead.
Background
The targets were identified as jet-powered attack drones from the Geran family, which Russia uses in its war against Ukraine.
Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Țoiu said Russia is responsible for attacks on four merchant ships in the Black Sea, leaving eight people dead.
What's confirmed
- “NATO has already strengthened our posture along the eastern flank, including with counter-drone capabilities,” spokeswoman Allison Hart said earlier in a post on X.
- “Allies have or will send additional maritime patrol aircraft, radar systems, explosive exploitation teams, intelligence personnel, drones and more to the Black Sea,” said Colonel Martin O’Donnell on Tuesday.
- The announcement came after NATO’s main decision-making body, the North Atlantic Council, discussed security in the Black Sea at the alliance’s Brussels headquarters.
- In an attack on October 5, Romania reported two people dead after their ship caught fire and sank in Black Sea waters.
- 13, drones struck two commercial vessels off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast.
What's still developing
- Ankara has tacitly allowed Russia to use civilian ships to continue to supply its forces in Syria and a fleet of civilian ships that use deceptive practices to illegally export plundered Ukrainian commodities to the world.
- “We condemn the attack earlier today on a Panama-flagged commercial vessel, MT On Peace, off the coast of Oman, where it was struck by a projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz,” the MEA said in a statement.
- In brief: Russian attacks in the Black Sea are taking advantage of a deep reluctance on NATO’s part to confront the very threat it was designed to contain.
- Radev said a Ukrainian-owned ship was “hit by three aerial drones”, and shortly afterwards another ship was hit and sank.
- Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the incident was serious but not surprising, describing it as part of a pattern in which Russia has intensified its so-called hybrid campaign against the European Union and NATO.
- Von der Leyen called the attacks unacceptable and expressed concern for commercial ships and their crews.
- Over the past year, the Royal Navy was called out 116 times to shadow Russian warships and merchant vessels in the waters around the United Kingdom, tracking 61 warships in all.
- Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Radev said the ships were attacked by sea drones and aerial drones at about 3am (00:00 GMT), about 70 nautical miles (130km) off Bulgaria’s coast, amid a rise in attacks on Black Sea shipping due to expanding drone attacks related to the Russia-Ukraine war.
- Amnesty International’s investigation from October last year into the migrant detention center said the attack killed and injured “dozens” of African migrants, adding that “many” of the migrants were held by Houthis “solely for their irregular immigration status” and the incident should be probed as a war crime.