SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgaria said Wednesday that Russia is probably late drone attacks which struck four ships in the Black Sea last week, sinking two, but there was no way to prove Moscow’s guilt.
Rescuers are still searching for 11 crew members missing after drone strikes sank two ships in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone and adjacent waters on Tuesday, while five other crew members were rescued.
One of the ships is registered in Guinea-Bissau but the other, the Chelsea-3, is Ukrainian-owned, registered in Odessa and sails under the flag of Malta, a European Union member.
“There is no logic for Ukraine to attack its own ships and crews, given that the outcome of all these attacks favors Russia – and indeed the logic goes in this direction. The problem is that we cannot prove it,” the Bulgarian Prime Minister said. Rumen Radev declared in Parliament.
Radev summoned the Russian ambassador in Sofia on Tuesday, who said he had no information from the Russian Defense Ministry, but did not rule out the possibility that “these attacks represent a third-party provocation.”
The Guinean-flagged cargo ship Dignity sank on Tuesday after being hit by a military strike. Four sailors, three Syrian nationals and one Egyptian, were rescued and arrived at the port of Varna, district governor Mario Smarkov said.
“All four appeared to be in relatively good condition and had no injuries,” he said. A fifth sailor is expected to arrive later Wednesday.
Smarkov said the search for the 11 missing crew members continues.
Bulgaria has requested international assistance to investigate attacks on commercial ships, as well as to NATO support to strengthen surveillance and control systems as well as response capabilities against drone attacks.
President Iliana Yotova called for an immediate end to hostilities in the Black Sea and a moratorium on drone attacks on commercial and civilian infrastructure, following the latest drone attacks.
“These unprecedented attacks demonstrate that the war has reached the Black Sea and that the conflict is intensifying,” Yotova said in a television interview on Tuesday.
She explained that coordinated measures were taken with her colleagues from Romania and Turkey in the face of increasing risks and dangers in the Black Sea basin.
“The aim is to establish a moratorium on the use of drones over the Black Sea against commercial and civilian infrastructure and to put an end to hostilities at sea,” Yotova said.
In another incident, Radev confirmed an attack on Starlink antennas near the capital, Sofia, but did not provide further details, citing an ongoing investigation.
Radev, who was answering questions in parliament about attacks on merchant ships in the Black Sea, was questioned by opposition MPs on Tuesday about details of an alleged arson attack on communications devices with the Starlink satellite system.
“The investigation is ongoing with partner services and is extremely intensive, with an outcome expected soon,” Radev said, adding that any “premature disclosure could hamper the investigation.”
Opposition MPs posted on social media that two masked men deliberately set fire to 11 of the 17 antennas used to connect to SpaceX’s Starlink satellite system at a site in the Sofia region.
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