Drones hit ships in Black Sea, sinking 1 and prompting rescue, Bulgaria says

Commercial shipping in the Black Sea has faced a severe escalation after aerial drones struck two merchant vessels just outside the territorial waters of Bulgaria, sending one ship to the bottom of the sea and leaving numerous sailors unaccounted for. The overnight strikes have drawn immediate condemnation from international leaders, triggered emergency security consultations among NATO allies, and prompted the Bulgarian government to summon the Russian ambassador in Sofia to address the rapidly deteriorating maritime security environment.

The first vessel targeted was the Maltese-flagged cargo ship Chelsea 3, which sent out a distress signal at 1:30 in the morning on Tuesday. According to statements from Prime Minister Rumen Radev, the Ukrainian-owned coastal freighter was hit by three aerial drones. The attack occurred roughly 18 nautical miles from the Bulgarian coast. Border police vessels rushed to the scene and evacuated all 15 crew members—comprising seven Ukrainian and eight Azerbaijani nationals. Five of the rescued sailors required medical assistance for minor injuries.

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Black Sea Drone Attacks Hit Two Ships Near NATO Coast—One Sinks as Bulgaria Points to Russia

A short distance away, a second merchant vessel met a far more tragic fate. Bulgarian President Iliana Iotova and regional authorities identified the second ship as the Guinea-Bissau-flagged cargo vessel HS Dignity. The ship went down roughly 17 nautical miles east of the village of Krapets, near the Romanian border, after being struck by a military strike. While early reports from local authorities and rescue coordinators indicated that five individuals had been rescued from the sinking ship, 11 sailors remain missing at sea as rescue operations persisted.

The latest maritime disaster follows a string of similar incidents across the western Black Sea. Just a week prior, sea and aerial drones struck two other commercial vessels in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone, sinking a Togo-flagged ship and forcing a ferry evacuation. Day-earlier strikes also hit a vessel carrying corn off the coast of Romania, resulting in fatalities and forcing regional governments to confront an escalating security crisis along NATO's eastern flank.

During an emergency meeting of Bulgaria's Security Council, Prime Minister Radev condemned the drone strikes as completely unacceptable. Addressing the Russian Ambassador, Eleonora Mitrofanova, during a face-to-face meeting in Sofia, Radev asserted that although authorities possessed no conclusive forensic proof establishing direct culpability, "the logic suggests that the outcome benefits the Russian Federation." In response, Ambassador Mitrofanova stated she had received no information from the Russian defence ministry regarding the incidents and suggested the attacks could represent a provocation orchestrated by a third party, according to government reports.

Other regional and international figures were less hesitant in assigning blame. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha issued a sharp condemnation on social media, accusing Moscow of weaponizing hunger and demonstrating a deliberate disregard for civilian lives and maritime commerce. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen echoed those sentiments, stating that the Black Sea had transformed into another front line of escalation in the ongoing war and demanding that those responsible be held fully accountable.

The geopolitical shockwaves immediately reached top security officials in Brussels. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte spoke by telephone with Prime Minister Radev, assuring him that the military alliance would continue monitoring the security environment and adjusting its deterrence and defense posture along the eastern flank as needed. Bulgarian Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov also engaged in urgent discussions with his Romanian and Turkish counterparts to coordinate security in the Black Sea region.

What to Watch Next

• Continued search-and-rescue and recovery operations for the missing crew members of the sunken HS Dignity off the coast of Krapets.
• Emergency discussions at the upcoming European Council meeting in Brussels regarding rising Russian hybrid activities and regional infrastructure protection.
• Joint proposals between Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey to establish enhanced safety guarantees and surveillance corridors for commercial shipping in the Black Sea.

Further updates on the rescue operations and diplomatic fallout are expected as European leaders convene later in the week.