Ship sinks in new drone attack off Bulgaria, PM summons Russian ambassador
A merchant ship sank following a drone attack off the coast of Bulgaria, prompting Prime Minister Rumen Radev to summon the Russian ambassador. This incident is part of a series of attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea, raising concerns about the escalation of the war in Ukraine.
Why it matters
The attacks on commercial shipping in NATO-adjacent waters represent a significant escalation in the regional conflict and threaten global supply chains.
Image source, Reuters Image caption, Five crew members on the Ukrainian-registered merchant ship suffered minor injuries in Tuesday's attacks
A merchant ship has sunk after drones hit two vessels off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast, Prime Minister Rumen Radev has said.
He indicated Russia was suspected of the attacks and that he had called in its ambassador.
One of the ships went down 17 nautical miles (31km) east of Krapets and one crew member was saved, he said. The other, Ukrainian-owned vessel was hit by three drones 18 nautical miles from the town of Byala and all 15 crew were rescued, he added.
The drone attacks come a week after two other commercial ships were hit by sea and aerial drones in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone. One of the ships, the Alfa Watan, sank and all 10 crew, including nine Syrians, are presumed dead.
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