Stories
Drones Strike Ships in Black Sea, Sinking One and Sparking Urgent Rescues
- •Drones struck two commercial ships in the Black Sea off the coast of Bulgaria, sinking one and prompting emergency rescue operations.
- •All 15 crew members of the Maltese-flagged Chelsea 3 were successfully evacuated, with five receiving treatment for minor injuries.
- •Prime Minister Rumen Radev called the attacks absolutely unacceptable and announced that Bulgaria is seeking assistance from NATO and the European Union.
- •While direct evidence is lacking, Radev stated that logic indicates the attacks benefit the Russian Federation.
- •The incident follows a series of recent drone strikes on commercial vessels in the Black Sea region, raising serious security concerns.
Key Questions Answered
Aerial drones struck two ships in the Black Sea off the coast of Bulgaria on Tuesday, resulting in one ship sinking and the other being heavily damaged. Emergency rescue operations successfully evacuated all 15 crew members from the Maltese-flagged Chelsea 3, while one crew member from the sunken vessel was also rescued.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev called the attacks absolutely unacceptable during an emergency meeting of Bulgaria's Security Council on Tuesday. He announced that Bulgaria was seeking assistance from NATO and the European Union and stated that he would summon Russian Ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanova for a conversation.
Exactly a week prior, sea and aerial drones attacked two other commercial vessels in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone, causing a Togo-flagged ship to sink and prompting a Bulgarian ferry to evacuate an 18-member crew from a Palau-flagged vessel. Additionally, a Turkish-owned cargo ship carrying corn caught fire and sank off the coast of Romania after a drone attack, resulting in two deaths.
