World Affairs
Bulgaria says Russia likely behind Black Sea drone attacks, proof lacking
Radev’s assessment is an official suspicion, not a verified attribution. Bulgarian authorities are still seeking answers after a week of drone attacks on commercial shipping in the Black Sea.
Executive summary
- Two vessels hit: Bulgarian authorities said drones struck two merchant ships in the country’s Black Sea exclusive economic zone early Oct. 13. The Maltese-flagged Chelsea 3, operated by a Ukrainian company, was hit by three aerial drones, according to its crew; all 15 people aboard were rescued and five received medical care.[1][2]
- Eleven sailors reported missing: A second ship sank about 17 miles east of Krapets. Reuters, citing Bulgarian officials, reported that five of its crew were rescued and 11 remained missing. Earlier government information said one crew member had been found; the search was ongoing.[1][3][2]
- Bulgaria says Russia is the likely suspect but lacks proof: Radev told Parliament on Oct. 14 that the attacks’ logic points to Russia, but said Bulgaria cannot prove responsibility. AP reported that the assessment covers four attacks on ships over the past week, which sank two vessels; 11 crew members remained missing after Tuesday’s sinking at the time of AP’s report.[4][5]
Bulgaria’s Council of Ministers said the Varna Maritime Rescue Coordination Center responded after receiving a distress call at 1:30 a.m. local time. The crew of the Chelsea 3 reported that three aerial drones struck the deck and side of the Ukrainian-operated ship, which sails under a Maltese flag. All 15 crew members were taken to Varna; five received medical care.[1][2]
Officials also reported that another ship sank about 17 miles east of Krapets. The government’s initial information during an emergency Security Council meeting said one crew member had been rescued. Reuters later reported that five had been rescued and 11 remained missing, citing Bulgarian officials; the search operation was continuing in the accounts reviewed.[1][3][2]
Reuters identified the sunken vessel as the Guinea-Bissau-flagged HS Dignity, citing Bulgarian President Iliana Iotova. AP reported its flag as Guinea-Bissau and called it the Dignity. The Bulgarian government’s statement about the sinking did not identify the ship by name. Reuters described it as the second fatal cargo-ship sinking in the area within a week.[3][2]
The Bulgarian government said on Oct. 13 that Radev told Russia’s ambassador he saw no logic in Ukraine destroying its own ships and that the strikes’ results benefited Russia. The same official statement said Bulgaria had no conclusive evidence identifying the drones’ origin. The government said Bulgaria would continue working with EU and NATO allies on the investigation.[1][3]
On Oct. 14, Radev told Parliament that Russia was the logical suspect but “the problem is that we cannot prove it,” according to Radio Bulgaria and the Associated Press. AP reported his comments referred to attacks on four ships during the prior week, two of which sank. The latest statement changes the public assessment of who may be responsible, but it does not establish attribution or present publicly verifiable evidence.[4][5]
Ukraine blamed Russia for earlier strikes, while the Russian ambassador said she had no information from Moscow’s defense ministry and raised the possibility of a third-party provocation, AP reported. Neither statement independently establishes who launched the drones. The reporting reviewed does not identify a launch site or provide publicly verifiable evidence attributing the Oct. 13 attacks.[2][3][5]
The incident followed another drone attack on commercial vessels in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone a week earlier, when one ship sank, AP reported. A separate attack sank a Turkish-owned cargo vessel off Romania the day before the Oct. 13 strikes, killing two people, Romanian authorities said. The repeated incidents raise immediate risks for crews and commercial traffic, but they do not by themselves establish a coordinated campaign or who is responsible.[2][3]