Drone attacks on two ships off Bulgaria – 11 sailors missing
Two commercial vessels came under attack from drones in the Black Sea on 13 October 2026. One sank and 11 sailors are missing.
Bulgaria: Cargo ship sunk by drone attack – Fate of 11 sailors unclear
Two commercial vessels were struck by drones in the Black Sea, off the Bulgarian coast, in the early hours of 13 October 2026. One of the two sank, whilst 11 members of its crew remain missing, according to Newsit.gr.
The two strikes
The first distress signal was received at 01:30 local time. It concerned the vessel "Chelsea 3", registered in Odesa under a Maltese flag and Ukrainian-owned, which was hit by three drones 18 nautical miles east of Biala. The crew – seven Ukrainians and eight Azerbaijanis – were rescued and transferred to the port of Varna. Five of them are receiving medical assistance for minor injuries.
A second attack followed against another vessel, 17 miles east of Krapets. This ship sank. Five members of its crew were rescued, whilst 11 others are missing. Local media reported that it was the cargo ship "Azov Concord". Its managing company, based in Turkey, has not commented on the incident.
Radev: "Completely unacceptable" attack
Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev announced the events via Facebook and described the attack as "completely unacceptable". He stated that he would summon the Russian ambassador and that he intends to speak with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. He also informed the North Atlantic Alliance of the incident.
"We do not have conclusive, clear evidence to level accusations against one side or the other", Radev said, but added that Bulgarian authorities assess that Russia bears responsibility for the strikes.
Background: Second attack within a week
This attack comes in addition to a similar incident from the previous week, when two other commercial vessels were struck by drones in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone. One of them has already sunk and its crew – nine Syrians and one Egyptian – remains missing. The 18 sailors of the other vessel were saved.
Reactions from Kyiv and Brussels
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on X that the Black Sea is a "lifeline for global food security" and called for increased pressure on Russia. "Russia is attacking there in order to turn hunger into a weapon and hold the whole world hostage", he added.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned the attacks via the X platform. "The Black Sea has become another front in escalating Russian war against Ukraine. This is unacceptable", she stated, noting that "those responsible must be held to account".
Source: Newsit.gr