Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev summoned the Russian ambassador on Tuesday after two merchant ships were hit by drones off the Bulgarian coast. According to local officials, one vessel sank 17 nautical miles east of the village of Krapets, leaving 11 crew members missing. A second vessel, the Ukrainian-owned and Maltese-flagged Chelsea 3, was struck by three drones approximately 18 nautical miles from the town of Byala. Prime Minister Radev stated that while there is no conclusive evidence against a specific party, the logic of the situation suggests the outcome benefits the Russian Federation.
The incidents occurred early Tuesday morning, with the Chelsea 3 reporting an attack at approximately 1:30 a.m. local time. The vessel's 15-man crew, consisting of seven Ukrainians and eight Azerbaijanis, was rescued. Five crew members received medical treatment for minor injuries. Regarding the vessel that sank, officials reported that one sailor was rescued while 11 others remain missing. Russian Ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanova stated she had no information from the Russian defense ministry regarding the strikes and suggested they could be a provocation by a third party.
These attacks follow similar incidents on October 6, 2026, when two other commercial ships were hit by drones in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone. One of those ships, the Alfa Watan, sank, and its 10 crew members are presumed dead. In response to the latest strikes, Radev met with security chiefs and held discussions with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. The European Commission and Ukrainian officials have attributed the escalation to Russia, while Moscow has maintained that it targets ships carrying weapons or dual-use cargo to Ukrainian ports.
The scale of the conflict's expansion into the western Black Sea is reflected in the loss of at least two merchant vessels and the deaths or disappearance of more than 20 sailors within a single week. For global consumers, the disruption to these shipping lanes poses a risk to food security, as both Russia and Ukraine are major grain exporters. Commercial shipping firms may face higher insurance premiums or be forced to reroute vessels, potentially leading to increased transportation costs for civilian cargo and grain, which could eventually manifest as higher prices for households worldwide.
The strikes occurred just outside Bulgarian territorial waters, narrowly avoiding a situation that could have triggered Article 5 of the NATO treaty, which considers an attack on one member as an attack on all. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte indicated the alliance would monitor the environment and adjust its "deterrence and defense posture as needed." Next steps include ongoing search and rescue operations for the missing crew members and technical investigations requested by Bulgaria from the EU and NATO. No specific court dates or legislative deadlines were reported regarding these maritime incidents.