Bulgaria said on Wednesday that the drone attacks on four commercial vessels in its Black Sea zone on Tuesday were probably carried out by Russia, a claim it admits it cannot prove. The strikes sank the cargo ship Dignity, a Guinea‑Bissau‑flagged vessel, and the Ukrainian‑owned Chelsea‑3, registered in Odesa but flying the Maltese flag. Four sailors – three Syrians and an Egyptian – were rescued from the Dignity and taken to Varna, where district governor Mario Smarkov reported they were unharmed. The second ship sent a distress call; five crew members were recovered, but 11 others remain missing, including the crew aboard Chelsea‑3.
The Sunday‑night raid on Dignity was the latest in a string of drone incidents that began earlier this week when a Togo‑flagged freighter sank in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone. A Turkish cargo ship carrying corn caught fire after a drone strike off Romania, killing two and leaving 11 survivors, while a Bulgarian ferry evacuated an 18‑member crew of a vessel flying the Pulau flag. A day before Tuesday’s strike, a drone damaged a Starlink antenna near Sofia, and opposition lawmakers claimed masked men were responsible.
Prime Minister Rumen Radev summoned the Russian ambassador to Sofia and said the attacks appeared to benefit Moscow because they targeted a Ukrainian‑owned ship. The ambassador refused to confirm Moscow’s involvement but suggested the incidents might be a third‑party provocation. Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha posted on X that the strikes were a deliberate attempt by Russia to weaponise pressure on civilian maritime routes, while NATO Secretary‑General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance would keep monitoring the situation closely.
Bulgaria has asked NATO for enhanced surveillance and response capabilities and is coordinating with Romania and Turkey to secure shipping lanes. The search for the missing sailors continues, with coast‑guard teams combing the sea and investigators probing the attacks. Meanwhile, EU leaders plan to discuss the surge of Russian hybrid activities at the Council meeting in Brussels next week.