SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgaria’s prime minister said two commercial ships were hit by drones Tuesday in the first attack on shipping in the NATO member’s exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea.
Bulgarian authorities said the origin of the drones was under investigation, but Ukraine’s president blamed Russia for the drone strikes. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev condemned the attack.
“This is an unacceptable attack in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone. It is a blatant violation of international law and maritime law,” Radev said after an emergency government meeting.
Maritime and aerial drones attacked the ships around 3 a.m., about 128 kilometers offshore. Bulgaria the coast, he said.
The Togolese-flagged Alfa Watan suffered critical structural damage and sank in place. There was no immediate information on the fate of the crew, he added. The second ship, the Palau-flagged Able, caught fire after the attack. A Bulgarian ferry evacuated the 18 crew members. Two sailors were seriously injured and were airlifted to a hospital in the port city of Varna, Radev said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Ukrainian military had not carried out any operations near where the ships were hit and pointed the finger at Moscow’s forces.
“This latest tragedy involving civilian ships is part of Russia’s efforts to make the western part of the Black Sea completely unnavigable,” Zelensky said. “We have verified all the details with the Bulgarian side. Our navy contacted its counterparts in Bulgaria and it was established that it was a combined Russian attack using maritime and aerial drones.”
There was no immediate comment on the accusation from Russian officials. NATO declined to comment and referred all inquiries regarding the drone attack to Bulgarian authorities.
President Iliana Yotova convened an emergency meeting of the Bulgarian Security Council on Wednesday afternoon that will focus on “current risks and threats to Bulgaria’s maritime security and critical infrastructure in the context of the war in Ukraine.”
The Able carried wheat and sailed south, while the Alfa Watan headed north. The Alfa Watan’s cargo was unknown, Radev said, adding that authorities were monitoring possible oil spills and other environmental pollution.
“As a state responsible within our exclusive economic zone for the health and life of everyone sailing in that zone, regardless of who is responsible, we are obliged to conduct emergency search and rescue operations,” he said.
“What is happening is seriously disrupting shipping in the Black Sea, further increasing insurance costs and making shipping extremely difficult,” Radev said.
He warned that the war was expanding geographically and increasing the risk of global conflict.
The attacks came a day after a Turkish cargo ship carrying corn was captured. fire following drone attack and then sank in the Black Sea. Two people died and 11 crew members were rescued, Romanian authorities said.
Last month, NATO Commander-in-Chief, US General Alex Grynkewich, urged member countries to publicly identify people they believe are responsible for drone incidents or acts of sabotage once sufficient evidence has been gathered.
The German government took almost a month to publicly accuse Russia of an attempted August 4 attack at Leipzig/Halle airport involving a drone laden with explosives.
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