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Drones struck two ships off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast overnight, sinking one, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said Tuesday, adding that while there is no clear evidence, "logic" suggests the attacks benefit Russia.
"We do not have solid and clear evidence to make accusations against either side, but logic, as I have already stated, indicates that the result benefits the Russian Federation. That is why today I will summon Ambassador Mitrofanova for a conversation," Radev said after an emergency meeting of the government’s Security Council.
The strikes are the second wave of drone attacks on merchant ships near Bulgarian waters in a week, after the sinking of the Alfa Watan on Oct. 6, as the Russia-Ukraine war spills deeper into Black Sea shipping lanes.
Radev said a distress signal was received at 1:30 a.m. (10:30 p.m. GMT) from a ship 18 nautical miles east of the town of Byala, which the crew said had been hit by three aerial drones on its deck and side.
Border police rescued all 15 crew members, seven Ukrainians and eight Azerbaijanis, from the Malta-flagged, Odesa-registered Chelsea 3, which Radev said is Ukrainian-owned. Five crew members were being treated for what authorities believe are light injuries, he said.
The 136-meter general cargo ship was sailing from the Turkish Black Sea port of Giresun to Giurgiulesti in Moldova, Bulgarian maritime outlet Maritime.bg reported.
Radev said a second ship was hit 17 miles east of Krapets and sank, with one crew member rescued.
"Yet another attack on commercial ships in immediate proximity to Bulgarian territorial waters is absolutely unacceptable," Radev said, adding that Bulgaria's envoys to NATO and the EU had been informed and that he would speak with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
"We will continue to seek and insist on help to strengthen surveillance of the air and sea space and to strengthen our response capabilities," he said.
On Monday, Radev asked the EU and NATO for technical help to identify those behind the Oct. 6 attacks, after authorities failed to find drone debris that could establish the origin of the drones.
According to a maritime source, "The latest information is that the AZOV CONCORD was not hit, but was participating in a SAR operation for the crew from a sunken ship that was hit. At the moment, it remains unclear which ship was hit, probably HS Dignity, northeast of Cape Shabla, Black Sea. This case has nothing to do with CHELSEA 3. CHELSEA 3 was hit in a much more southern position."
On Oct. 6, drones struck the Togo-flagged Alfa Watan, which sank, and the Palau-flagged Able, whose 18 crew members were rescued, about 70 nautical miles east of Byala.
Both vessels were managed by Türkiye-based companies.
London's Joint War Committee has expanded the Black Sea high-risk zone by nearly 2.4 times, to about 411,200 square kilometers, driving up insurance premiums.
Bulgaria's navy has processed more than 300 reports of mines and floating hazards since the war began and destroyed more than 30 drones, missiles and debris in 2026 alone, it said.
Bulgaria, Türkiye and Romania operate a joint mine countermeasures group in the Black Sea, as attacks on shipping near Bulgaria intensify.
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