Bulgaria to Deploy More Unmanned Systems After Black Sea Ship Attacks

Bulgaria will deploy two additional unmanned systems and strengthen monitoring of the Black Sea as attacks on commercial vessels bring the conflict closer to its territorial waters, Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov told journalists at the National Assembly.

“Escalation is already underway and continues to rise. We see this conflict drawing ever closer to our territorial waters. I hope the line of what is permissible will not be crossed, although I see no signs of reason in this situation,” Stoyanov said.

The minister outlined the overnight attacks on two commercial vessels. Shortly after 1 a.m., authorities received a distress signal from the Guinea-Bissau-flagged HS Dignity, reporting a fire and a drone attack. The vessel subsequently sank off Krapets. Six of its 16 crew members have been found and rescued, while the search for the others continues.

At 1:28 a.m., a second distress call came from the Chelsea-3, located about 17 nautical miles southeast of Varna. The crew was evacuated with assistance from a Greek patrol boat. The vessel is Ukrainian-owned and sails under the Maltese flag, with Ukrainian and Azerbaijani nationals among its crew.

The type of drones used and the party responsible for the attacks have not been established. Stoyanov said he saw no reason for Ukraine to attack vessels owned by Ukrainians, adding that the expectation in the current situation was that Russian drones had been used. A sailor from the Chelsea-3 reported that the vessel had been hit three times by a drone he identified as Russian.

A Bulgarian Navy frigate was sent to the area immediately after the incidents were reported, while two military helicopters headed toward the location where the HS Dignity sank. Aerial surveillance detected no unmanned aerial vehicles, Stoyanov said.

The defense minister said he had spoken with his Romanian and Turkish counterparts, agreeing to improve coordination, exchange information promptly and conduct joint assessments of the Black Sea situation. A meeting involving the three countries' defense ministers and chiefs of defense is also being arranged, with the date still under discussion. Stoyanov said it could take place before the end of October.

He said Bulgaria's armed forces could respond to specific threats within the country's territorial waters and airspace but could not provide military escorts for merchant vessels in international waters without an appropriate legal basis.

“We have no commitment, obligation, or right to do so,” Stoyanov said when asked about escorting commercial ships in international waters. He added that naval escorts could be provided only within Bulgarian territorial waters.

The minister also addressed calls to invoke Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty, saying the mechanism should not be activated automatically after every incident. He recalled that it had been used twice since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine: after three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered Estonian airspace and following the crash of a ballistic missile in Poland.

“What follows Article 4? Article 5 follows Article 4. Therefore, we must carefully assess whether it is necessary to trigger consultations under this article,” Stoyanov told members of the Parliamentary Defense Committee.

He noted that S-300 missiles had also landed in Poland and drones had entered the airspace or territory of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Romania and other countries without prompting Article 4 consultations.

Stoyanov said Bulgaria's allies had been notified of the latest incidents on the day they occurred through the country's Permanent Representative to NATO in Brussels, Ambassador Nikolay Milkov. The issue was raised at the North Atlantic Council and continues to be discussed there. According to the minister, allies agree that incidents in the Black Sea and similar events in other NATO member states should be assessed individually rather than automatically triggering Article 4.

Bulgaria had sought stronger air patrols and a greater presence of allied forces on its territory from the outset, Stoyanov said, including after the drone crash. Following a meeting of the Consultative Council for National Security, further requests for allied assistance were prepared. He declined to disclose the specific measures or requests in an open meeting, adding that Bulgaria had also strengthened air surveillance and coastal defense, particularly around its territorial waters.

Stoyanov stressed that Bulgaria's authority differs across its contiguous zone, territorial sea and exclusive economic zone. The country has limited jurisdiction in its exclusive economic zone, especially over foreign vessels, constraining its ability to intervene. These legal distinctions must be considered when deciding how to protect the Bulgarian coast, he said.

More than 600 incidents involving ships have occurred in the Black Sea since the start of the war in Ukraine, according to Stoyanov. The incidents have been recorded across the region, not only within Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone.

“Such situations will most likely continue to occur. There is no single organization, not only in Bulgaria but also in Ukraine or Russia, capable of putting a stop to such incidents,” the defense minister said.

Stoyanov also said he did not know what NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte had told Prime Minister Rumen Radev. Asked about restrictions under the Montreux Convention governing warship passage through the Turkish Straits, he said he had not discussed the issue with his Turkish counterpart.

“There is no point in discussing the Montreux Convention at the level of the defense minister and his counterpart,” Stoyanov said, adding that the restrictions were clearly defined and that Turkey could decide whether to permit warships to pass as long as it was not a party to the conflict.

In response to a question about the destruction of Starlink communication antennas at a classified facility near Sofia, Stoyanov said the Defense Ministry was not responsible for security or other activities at the site.