Eleven Sailors Missing After Cargo Ship Sinks Following Drone Attack Off Bulgaria’s Black Sea Coast

Eleven sailors were missing on Tuesday after a cargo ship sank following a drone attack off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, and Bulgaria has summoned Russia’s ambassador amid growing concern over the impact of the war on commercial shipping. Bulgarian officials said five crew members were rescued from the Guinea-Bissau-flagged HS Dignity, and a search and rescue operation was under way near the coastal village of Krapets. Moscow had not immediately commented.

A Second Ship Hit

Two cargo ships were hit by drones overnight, according to Bulgarian authorities. The Maltese-flagged Chelsea 3 was struck by three drones, and all 15 of its crew, seven Ukrainians and eight Azerbaijanis, were rescued, with no serious injuries. A week earlier, another vessel sank in Bulgaria’s Black Sea exclusive economic zone, leaving nine Syrian sailors and one Egyptian missing.

Bulgaria’s Response

Prime Minister Rumen Radev called the attack unacceptable but stopped short of directly accusing Russia, saying its outcome benefited the Russian Federation. Bulgaria summoned Russian Ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanova, who said she had no information from Russia’s Defence Ministry about attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea. According to the Bulgarian government, she did not rule out a provocation by a third party.

Radev called for greater support to strengthen Bulgaria’s maritime and airspace surveillance in calls with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Rutte said NATO would keep adjusting its military presence on its eastern flank as needed.

International Reaction

The European Union and Ukraine condemned the attacks. Von der Leyen said the Black Sea has become another front of escalation in the war in Ukraine and that those responsible should be held accountable. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the strike showed Moscow’s disregard for civilian lives and warned that attacks on Black Sea shipping threaten global food security.

Shipping Caught in the War

Commercial shipping in the Black Sea has increasingly been drawn into the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, both of which are among the world’s largest grain exporters. Russia has repeatedly attacked Ukrainian Black Sea ports, pushing Ukraine to rely more on Danube river ports and routes near NATO members Bulgaria and Romania, while Ukraine has increasingly targeted Russian grain-exporting vessels in other parts of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.