Drone strike sinks another ship off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, 11 sailors missing

SOFIA — Two merchant vessels were hit off the Bulgarian coast on Tuesday, and one of them was sunk in the latest spillover from the Ukraine war in the Black Sea.Eleven sailors were missing after the attacks, prompting Bulgaria to summon Russia’s ambassador.Bulgaria stopped short of explicitly accusing Russia of carrying out the attacks but Prime Minister Rumen Radev said their outcome “benefits the Russian Federation”.”This is absolutely unacceptable — another attack in the immediate vicinity of Bulgarian territorial waters,” Radev said in a televised address.The attacks ​were also condemned by Ukraine and the EU.”The Black Sea has become another front of escalation of the Russian war in Ukraine,” European Commission ​President Ursula von der Leyen said on X. “Those responsible should be held accountable.”NATO chief Mark Rutte said the alliance would adjust its defenses “as needed.”Radev said the Ukrainian-owned Chelsea 3 was “hit by three aerial drones” and shortly afterward another ship was “struck” and sank further north off the coast of the NATO and EU member.”We lack solid, clear evidence to level accusations against any specific party; however…logic suggests the outcome works to the advantage of the Russian Federation,” he wrote.The presidency later identified the sunken ship as HS Dignity, a Guinea-Bissau flagged cargo vessel that was en route to the Romanian port of Braila.It went down 17 nautical miles east of the Bulgarian town of Krapets.”According to information we got from the rescue center …five people were rescued and 11 are missing. This is preliminary information,” a spokeswoman for the northeastern region of Dobrich told the AFP news agency.Radev said all 15 crew members aboard the stricken Chelsea 3, seven Ukrainians and eight Azerbaijanis, had been rescued after it was hit 18 nautical miles east of the Bulgarian town of Byala.Rutte, speaking after a call with Radev, said NATO would continue to work closely “with our allies in the Black Sea.””We have already strengthened our posture along the eastern flank and will continue to monitor the security environment, adjusting our deterrence and defence posture as needed,” Rutte wrote.Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also blamed Russia, denouncing what he called Moscow’s “deliberate disregard for civilian lives and maritime security in the Black Sea.””The Black Sea is a lifeline for global food security. Russia is attacking it to weaponise hunger and hold the world hostage,” he posted on X.Amid mounting fallout from Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, drone attacks have become increasingly frequent in neighbouring countries.The conflict has also spread across the eastern Black Sea, with at least 45 merchant vessels attacked over the past 12 months in areas previously not listed as high risk, the maritime risk management group Ambrey said last month.Last week, two commercial vessels were hit in the Black Sea off Bulgaria in an attack widely blamed on Russia, though Bulgaria said the circumstances were unclear.Nine Syrians and one Egyptian remain missing.That dual strike came a day after another ship caught fire and sank off the Romanian coast, killing one person and leaving another missing.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the ship was hit by Russian drones.