Bulgaria demands explanations from Russia for another drone attack against two ships in the Black Sea

BarcelonaTwo ships have been attacked by drones in the Black Sea and one has sunk, according to information provided this Tuesday by the Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Rumen Radev. According to available information, the incident occurred about 24 kilometers off the Bulgarian coast. At least sixteen sailors were injured in the two attacks, although the authorities have not reported how many people were on the ship that sank. "We do not have solid and clear evidence to press charges against either party, but logic points to the Russian Federation," stated the Prime Minister, Rumen Radev, who is pro-Russian, in a video posted on social media. For this reason, he announced that he has summoned the Russian ambassador to ask for explanations.

The sunken ship was attacked 17 nautical miles (27 kilometers) from the Bulgarian coastal town of Krapets, near the border with Romania. Radev indicated that they were able to rescue one sailor alive, but did not specify how many people were traveling on board the Azov Concord, a cargo ship flying the flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines that was sailing from Romania to Turkey, according to the maritime transport agency Maritime.bg.

In the other attack, 18 miles (29 kilometers) from Byala, the Ukrainian-owned cargo ship Chelsea 3, which was sailing under the Maltese flag from Turkey to Romania, was damaged, according to the same portal. Radev pointed out that they were able to rescue all fifteen crew members alive, seven Ukrainians and eight Azerbaijanis, three of whom had minor injuries, and that they have all been taken to the Bulgarian port of Varna.

The Prime Minister described these new attacks against merchant ships near Bulgaria's territorial waters as unacceptable and announced that he has informed his EU and NATO partners about this new incident. "We will continue to request and insist on receiving help to reinforce the surveillance of the airspace and sea and strengthen our response capacity," stressed Radev, who also requested help to clarify the origin of these aggressions. The Bulgarian announced that today he will speak with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who, following the line of Donald Trump, opposes the EU helping Ukraine defend itself against Russian aggression.

Second incident

This is the second time this month that Bulgaria has reported an incident of this type in the Black Sea. On October 6, a merchant ship ended up sunk and another was damaged in a drone attack 130 meters from the coast, which Sofia has not attributed and has requested help to investigate. A day earlier, another ship, a Turkish merchant vessel transporting Ukrainian grain, was attacked off the coast of Romania, an event that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attributed to Russia.

These incidents have once again put under scrutiny Europe's ability to protect maritime traffic and critical infrastructure in the Black Sea, more than a year after the EU launched a strategy to strengthen security in the region.