Drones sink ship in Black Sea, unclear who launched strike, Bulgaria says

Drones struck two ships in the Black Sea off Bulgaria on Tuesday, sinking one and prompting emergency rescue operations, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said.

The Guinea-Bissau-flagged cargo ship Dignity sank after it was hit by a military strike. Five sailors were rescued, while a search for the other 11 crew members continued, Varna district Gov. Mario Smrkov said.

Rescuers evacuated all 15 crew members from the Ukrainian-operated coastal freighter Chelsea 3, sailing under the Maltese flag, with five receiving treatment for minor injuries, Radev said in a video posted to social media.

The crew, which included seven Ukrainian citizens and eight Azerbaijani citizens, reported the ship’s deck and hull were hit by three aerial drones.

The strikes on the two ships happened 20 miles and 21 miles (32 and 34 kilometers) from the Bulgarian coast.

During an emergency meeting of Bulgaria’s Security Council on Tuesday, Radev called the attacks “absolutely unacceptable” and said Bulgaria was seeking NATO and European Union assistance.

While authorities do not possess clear evidence on who was responsible for the drone attacks, “it makes no sense for Ukraine to destroy its own ships in the Black Sea, and the results of these strikes favor Russia’s interests,” Radev told the Russian Ambassador in Sofia during a meeting on Tuesday, the government’s press office reported.

The ambassador said she does not have any information from the Russian defense ministry related to the recent attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea but added that she did not rule out the possibility that “these attacks represent a provocation by a third party.”

Radev has said that such attacks are unacceptable and that Bulgaria will continue to investigate the attacks together with its EU and NATO allies to establish the truth.

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.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha in a post on X on Tuesday blamed Russia for the attacks.

“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.

“The Black Sea is a lifeline for global food security. Russia is attacking it to weaponize hunger and hold the world hostage. This must be met with strength,” Sybiha wrote.

“NATO will continue to work closely with our Allies in the Black Sea,” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte wrote on X. He added that NATO had already strengthened its posture along the eastern flank and will continue to monitor the security environment, adjusting its deterrence and defense posture as needed.

The United Nations condemns attacks on civilian ships, especially the most recent ones off the coast of Bulgaria, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Tuesday.

“It’s very worrisome because these attacks on ships carrying grain, food and other products destined for the global market have multiplied and have expanded recently,” Dujarric said. “It has a terrible knock-on effect on the price of commodities worldwide when you’re also seeing the situation around the Strait of Hormuz, in the Red Sea, not to mention the risk — and also the fatal risk faced by seafarers.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen “strongly condemned” the drone incidents and said the Black Sea “has become another front of escalation” in Russia’s war in Ukraine.

“This is unacceptable. I strongly condemn the drone attacks on merchant ships near Bulgaria’s coast. Putting the lives of the crew in grave danger and threatening security in the Black Sea,” she said in a post on X.

“We stand with Bulgaria and thank its rescuers for their swift response. Those responsible should be held accountable.”

European Council President Antonio Costa said in a social media post that the EU stood in full solidarity with Bulgaria following the attacks. He said the growing number of Russian hybrid activities would be discussed at the European Council meeting scheduled for Thursday and Friday in Brussels.

The attacks came exactly a week after sea and aerial drones attacked two other commercial vessels in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea. A Togo-flagged ship sank, while a Bulgarian ferry evacuated the 18-member crew of a Pulau-flagged vessel.

A day earlier, a Turkish-owned cargo ship carrying corn caught fire following a drone attack and later sank in the Black Sea off the coast of Romania. Two people died and 11 crew members were rescued, Romanian authorities said.