The incident is the latest suspected incursion by Russian drones, as fears grow that the war in Ukraine could spill over.
Published on October 5, 2026
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has blamed the sinking of a ship on a Russian drone attack in the Romanian part of the Black Sea.
Romania reported that two people were killed and 11 others rescued when a grain ship caught fire and sank in its waters on Monday. The Ukrainian president’s claims suggest the incident is the latest in a series of alleged incursions along NATO’s eastern flank and will fuel fears of a possible spillover of Moscow’s war into Ukraine.
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“A horrific strike by two Russian drones on a civilian ship in neutral waters carrying corn and belonging to Turkey,” Zelensky wrote on social media.
According to the Romanian Interior Ministry, the coast guard was alerted around 11:00 a.m. local time (08:00 GMT) that a fire had broken out on the ship, specifying that it was in the country’s “exclusive economic zone”.
The ministry did not identify the cause of the fire.
Azerbaijani and Indian citizens were on board the ship at the time of the attack, it is reported.
Romania is among NATO members to report incursions this year, as Russia and Ukraine increasingly turn to launching hundreds of drones and missiles.
In May, a Russian drone hit a building. In June, a misplaced Ukrainian maritime drone exploded in the Black Sea port of Constanta. In July, Bucharest summoned the Russian ambassador after air defense intercepted three drones in the space of a week.
Russian drone incursions into Eastern European airspace are seen by some as a test of NATO and the European Union’s defense and response capabilities.
The Baltic states have also seen drones enter their airspace throughout the war, with airspace violations contributing to the collapse of Latvia’s government in late May after a dispute over how to respond to the incursions.
The incursions also prompted Poland to strengthen its air defense after accusing Moscow of violating its airspace in September. Suspicious drones have been shot down twice in Moldova.
The Romanian Ministry of National Defense said Romanian naval forces had destroyed nine drifting sea mines in the Black Sea since the start of the war.
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