Drones Hit Two Merchant Ships Off Bulgaria, One Sinks, Russia Blamed

Two merchant ships were hit by unknown drones off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast on 13 October. One vessel sank. Bulgarian authorities rescued 20 crew members and reported 11 still missing.

Prime Minister Rumen Radev blamed Russia for the attack and summoned its ambassador. The incident is the second such strike on commercial shipping near the Bulgarian coast in six days. No group has claimed responsibility. The vessels were not identified by name in initial official statements, and their cargoes have not been disclosed.

Bulgarian search-and-rescue teams responded after distress calls. The surviving crew members were brought ashore. Authorities have not released their nationalities. The location of the strikes places them in waters that have seen previous incidents involving drones and missiles during the Russia-Ukraine war.

Russia has denied targeting civilian shipping in the Black Sea in recent statements, though Ukrainian and Western officials have documented repeated attacks on grain and other commercial vessels since 2022. Bulgaria, a NATO member, has previously protested Russian actions that it says violate its airspace or endanger navigation.

The latest incident adds to pressure on Black Sea shipping routes. Insurance costs for vessels transiting the area have risen during periods of heightened attacks. Bulgarian officials have called for increased NATO surveillance of the western Black Sea. The European Union has already imposed successive rounds of sanctions on Russian entities linked to the war.

Radev's decision to summon the ambassador follows standard diplomatic practice when a host government attributes a hostile act to another state. Moscow has not issued an immediate public response to the specific summons. Further details on the type of drones used and the precise sequence of the strikes are expected once salvage operations and interviews with survivors are complete.

The attack occurred on the same day that Russian forces continued strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, including a university in Rivne that wounded 25 people. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Russia launched more than 100 weapons since Monday evening. The Bulgarian incident remains under investigation by national authorities.