Eleven sailors were missing Tuesday after a drone attack sank a cargo ship off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, while a second vessel was struck overnight, prompting Sofia to summon Russia’s ambassador.
Bulgarian authorities said five crew members were rescued from the Guinea-Bissau-flagged HS Dignity, which sank near the coastal village of Krapets. Search and rescue operations were continuing.
A second cargo ship, the Maltese-flagged Chelsea 3, was struck by three drones. All 15 crew members, including seven Ukrainians and eight Azerbaijanis, were rescued without serious injuries.
Bulgaria Summons Russian Ambassador
Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev condemned the attacks, saying their outcome “benefits the Russian Federation,” although Sofia stopped short of directly accusing Moscow.
“This is absolutely unacceptable – another attack in the immediate vicinity of Bulgarian territorial waters,” Radev said in a televised address.
Russian Ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanova, summoned for talks in Sofia, said she had received no information from Russia’s Defense Ministry about attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea.
Moscow did not immediately comment on the incidents.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned the attacks, describing the Black Sea as another area of escalation in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
“Those responsible should be held accountable,” she wrote on X.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha accused Moscow of disregarding civilian lives and threatening international food supplies. Radev also spoke with von der Leyen and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, requesting additional support for Bulgaria’s maritime and airspace surveillance capabilities.
Rutte said NATO would continue adjusting its military presence along its eastern flank as necessary.
Growing Threat to Black Sea Shipping
The latest incidents followed another drone attack a week earlier that sank a vessel in Bulgaria’s Black Sea exclusive economic zone, leaving nine Syrian sailors and one Egyptian missing. A second ship was damaged in that attack, but its crew was rescued.
Commercial shipping in the Black Sea has faced increasing risks since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Russian attacks on Ukrainian ports have disrupted maritime exports, pushing more Ukrainian shipments toward Danube river ports and coastal routes near Bulgaria and Romania, both NATO members.
Ukraine has also targeted Russian grain-exporting vessels in parts of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
Russia and Ukraine are among the world’s largest grain exporters, making Black Sea shipping routes important to international agricultural trade.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
