Two Ships Hit by Drones in Black Sea, Bulgaria Seeks International Help as Radev Summons Russian Ambassador

Two merchant ships were struck by drones in separate incidents in the Black Sea near Bulgaria, with one vessel sinking east of Krapets and another surviving an attack east of Byala, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said, announcing plans to speak with Russian Ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanova and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

During an extraordinary meeting of the Security Council at the Council of Ministers, Radev reported that the Maltese-flagged cargo ship CHELSEA 3 had been hit by three aerial drones about 18 nautical miles east of Byala. A second vessel, identified as the Azov Concord, sank approximately 17 nautical miles east of Krapets after being struck by a drone.

Further reading: Calls Grow in Sofia for NATO Action and Stronger Defense After Drone Strikes Just Outside Bulgaria’s Territorial Waters

The distress call from CHELSEA 3 was received at 1:30 a.m. According to the crew, the drones hit the ship's deck and side. The Marine Rescue Center in Varna immediately launched an emergency operation, and a Border Police team evacuated all 15 people aboard: seven Ukrainian citizens and eight Azerbaijani citizens.

The ship, which is Ukrainian-owned and registered in Odessa, sails under the Maltese flag. The crew was taken to the port of Varna, where five sailors received medical attention for minor injuries, according to initial reports.

The second vessel sank about 17 nautical miles east of Krapets, Radev announced during the Security Council meeting. One crew member has been rescued, but the available information does not establish the vessel's full crew complement or the fate of the other people who may have been aboard.

"Another attack against merchant ships in the immediate vicinity of Bulgarian territorial waters is absolutely unacceptable," Radev said.

The prime minister said Bulgaria would seek international assistance to investigate the strikes and establish the origin of the drones. He stressed that the available evidence was insufficient to attribute responsibility to a particular country, although he said the outcome of the attacks appeared to benefit Russia.

"The logic of what is happening indicates that the result of the attacks is in favor of the Russian Federation," Radev said, explaining why he intended to speak with Russian Ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanova.

Bulgaria's permanent representatives to NATO and the European Union have been informed of the incidents. Radev also announced that he would hold talks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

The government is seeking international support to determine where the drones came from and to strengthen surveillance of Bulgarian airspace and maritime areas. It will also push for assistance to improve the country's capabilities to respond to similar incidents.

Col. Ivan Milanov of the International Anti-Drone Association said a comprehensive system was needed to protect ships, critical infrastructure, crews, citizens and people living inland. He argued that the distance from the Bulgarian coast at which the attacks occurred was less important than whether a complete detection and response system was in place.

"Three main components. First, 2 or 3 miles plus or minus doesn't matter. No bypassing complete system here. There is no effective protection without a comprehensive system. Monitoring, detection, identification, threat assessment, impact and impact decision. We here see again how the government reacted after the incident. I'm very sorry, but the report was filed by some maritime traffic officer who is a civilian organization and was filed afterwards. The fact is that we cannot talk about solutions at all," Milanov said.

He said the time available to respond was crucial and called for accountability over preparedness, coordination and the implementation of decisions.

"13 miles is passed in 10-15 seconds and any object can be struck if it has not been detected in a timely manner. Instead of a pre-built readiness, we see the need for a response after another attack. Responsibility should be sought for the readiness, coordination and implementation of these decisions," he said.

Milanov stressed that protection must extend beyond vessels and infrastructure to the people who could be affected by an attack.

"People protection should be leading. Not only ships, critical infrastructure, but crews, citizens, the population, including inside the country. Are they protected, are they prepared, is the system working. These are the questions," he said.

He urged officials to focus on Bulgaria's readiness to respond rather than limiting public discussion to speculation about the drones' origin. Asked how such attacks could be countered, he called for a comprehensive system capable of detecting, identifying and neutralizing drones.

"With the construction of such a complete system. The drone should be found not 13, 15 or 20 miles away, but over 100 miles away. Because moving at a speed of 300 to 500 km per hour, it reaches a few minutes, 3 to 5 minutes. To any object that wants to strike. It is precisely for these few minutes that all these actions must be taken," Milanov said.

He described the required response as a series of coordinated actions that must be completed within a short period, from initial detection and identification to deciding how to engage the target. He also emphasized that counter-drone measures must be integrated with Bulgaria's national air defense system.