Two ships were hit in the attack, including the Ukrainian-owned Chelsea 3, which sustained damage.
Published On 13 Oct 202613 Oct 2026
Two ships have been hit in drone attacks off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, with one of them sinking, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said.
The Ukrainian-owned Chelsea 3, which was sailing under a Maltese flag, was hit by three drones and damaged about 18 nautical miles (33km) off Bulgaria at about 1:30am on Tuesday, Radev said.
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Radev said its 15-man crew, seven of them Ukrainians and eight Azerbaijanis, was rescued. Five crew members received medical assistance, and no one was seriously injured.
Bulgarian officials said five crew members had been rescued from the ship that sank but 11 remain missing at sea. The vessel went down off the coast of the village of Krapets, near the Romanian border and was identified as the Guinea-Bissau-flagged cargo ship HS Dignity by President Iliana Iotova. A search and rescue operation is ongoing, she said.
Radev called the incident “absolutely unacceptable”.
“Another attack in the immediate vicinity of Bulgarian territorial waters,” he said in a televised address.
Radev also said there was no clear evidence of who carried out the attack, but “the outcome benefits” Russia and that the Russian ambassador would be summoned over the incident.
As a member of the NATO military alliance, Bulgaria holds a strategic position on the Black Sea, where Russia and Ukraine have vital ports.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned the attack on the ships.
“The Black Sea has become another front of escalation of the Russian war in Ukraine,” she said.
“This is unacceptable. I strongly condemn the drone attacks on merchant ships near Bulgaria’s coast. Putting the lives of the crew in grave danger and threatening security in the Black Sea,” she wrote on X.
“We stand with Bulgaria and thank its rescuers for their swift response. Those responsible should be held accountable,” von der Leyen added.
NATO chief Mark Rutte said the alliance would adjust its defences “as needed” following the incident.
“NATO will 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 said on X after talking to Radev.
The incident comes as concerns grow over hybrid attacks involving Russia.
Last week, drones hit two ships off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, causing one to sink. All 10 crew members from the ship that sank remain unaccounted for.