In brief
In the early hours of Monday night, a Togo‑flagged merchant vessel sank inside Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone after a drone strike, leaving its crew missing. A second grain carrier, also struck, was boarded by Bulgarian sailors who rescued 18 crew members, including two injured by a fire on board. Bulgarian President Rumen Radev denounced the attacks as a flagrant breach of maritime law, while the responsible parties remain unknown. These incidents occur amid escalating Russian drone raids on Black Sea shipping as part of the broader Ukraine conflict.
One merchant ship has sunk and its crew is missing after a drone attack in the Black Sea, Bulgarian officials say.
A second vessel carrying grain was also struck within Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone; its crew of 18 were rescued.
The attacks occurred at about 03:00 local time, some 70 miles off the coastal town of Byala. Air and sea drones were involved.
The sunken ship was flying under the flag of Togo. When a Bulgarian vessel arrived nearby it found an overturned boat, rafts and life jackets, but the crew count remained unclear. A search operation has been launched to locate any survivors.
From the rescued ship, 11 crew members were Turkish and seven were Indian. Two were injured by a fire onboard. The vessel was carrying grain.
Rumen Radev condemned the strikes as a flagrant violation of maritime law, calling the attacks “absolutely unacceptable” within Bulgaria’s 29,000 square‑kilometer exclusive economic zone.
Russia, which has not commented on this incident, was recently accused by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of striking a civilian vessel carrying corn. On the same day, a separate attack near Odesa killed one crew member and injured seven others on a ship flying the flag of the Marshall Islands.
The conflict follows Russia’s full‑scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Bulgaria’s government urges international accountability for the escalating maritime hostilities.
