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

11 crew members missing, Bulgarian PM calls attacks 'absolutely unacceptable'

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

Rescuers evacuated all 15 crew members from one ship, the Maltese-flagged Chelsea 3, 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 Azerbaijan citizens, reported the ship's deck and hull were hit by three aerial drones.

The strikes on the two ships occurred 34 and 32 kilometres from the Bulgarian coast.

Bulgarian officials said five crew members had been rescued but 11 were still listed as missing from the ship which sank off the coast of the village of Krapets. Bulgarian media ‌identified the vessel as the cargo ship Azov Concord. Its Turkey-based manager was not immediately available for comment.

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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.

Crew members from a ship damaged in an earlier drone attack in the Black Sea on Oct. 6 disembark from a Bulgarian border police vessel in Varna, Bulgaria. (Petko Momchilov/Reuters)

While authorities do not possess clear evidence on who was responsible for the drone attacks, "logic, as I have already stated, indicates that the result is in favour of the Russian Federation," Radev said.

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.

He said that Ukraine is urging its partners to step up pressure on Russia, strengthen sanctions and take decisive action to hold it accountable and protect freedom of navigation.

"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.

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."

The attacks come 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 from a Pulau-flagged vessel.

Crew of ship missing after drone attacks on 2 commercial vessels in Black Sea near Bulgaria

Ukraine's military did not conduct any operations near the locations of last week's drone strikes, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who pointed the finger at Russia.

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.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev, pictured on Oct. 7, called Tuesday's drone strikes "absolutely unacceptable." (Hristo Vladev/NurPhoto/Getty Images)

Russia did not immediately comment on Tuesday's incident.

Radev said he would summon the Russian ambassador to Bulgaria, Eleonora Mitrofanova, for a conversation Tuesday.