Black Sea drone strike sinks ship in first attack in Bulgaria's economic zone

Drones hit two commercial vessels in Bulgaria's Black Sea economic zone, sinking one and injuring sailors. The strike has intensified fears over maritime security and a wider regional spillover from the war.Stock photo used for illustrationSofia,Oct 7, 2026 01:56 ISTTwo commercial vessels were struck by drones in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea early on Tuesday, in what Prime Minister Rumen Radev said was the first such attack on shipping in the waters of the NATO member. Bulgarian authorities said the origin of the drones was being investigated, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blamed Russia.Radev condemned the strike after an emergency government meeting, saying, "This is an unacceptable attack in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone. It is a blatant violation of international law and maritime law." He said sea and aerial drones attacked the ships at around 3 a.m., about 80 miles, or 128 kilometres, off Bulgaria's coast.The Togo-flagged Alfa Watan suffered critical structural damage and sank at the scene, Radev said. There was no immediate word on the fate of its crew. The second vessel, the Palau-flagged Able, caught fire after the attack. A Bulgarian ferry evacuated all 18 crew members from the ship, and two sailors with severe injuries were flown to a hospital in the port city of Varna, he said.Zelenskyy said Ukraine's military had not carried out any operations near the area where the vessels were hit and accused Moscow's forces of carrying out the attack. "This latest tragedy involving civilian vessels is another part of Russia's effort to make the western Black Sea completely unfit for navigation," he said. "We verified all the details with the Bulgarian side. Our Navy contacted its counterparts in Bulgaria, and it has been established that this was a combined Russian attack using maritime and aerial drones." There was no immediate comment from Russian officials on the accusation. NATO declined to comment and referred all inquiries about the attack to Bulgarian authorities. Bulgaria's President Iliana Yotova has called an emergency meeting of the country's Security Council for Wednesday afternoon to focus on "current risks and threats to Bulgaria's maritime security and critical infrastructure in the context of the war in Ukraine". Radev said the Able was carrying wheat and sailing south, while the Alfa Watan was heading north. He said the cargo on the Alfa Watan was not known and that authorities were monitoring for possible oil spills and other environmental pollution. "As a state responsible within our exclusive economic zone for the health and lives of anyone navigating in this area, regardless of who is responsible, we are obliged to conduct emergency search and rescue operations," he said.Radev also said the attacks were seriously affecting Black Sea shipping. "What is happening is seriously disrupting shipping in the Black Sea, driving up insurance costs even further and making shipping extremely difficult," he said, while warning that the war was expanding geographically and increasing the risk of a wider conflict. The strikes came a day after a Turkish-owned cargo ship carrying corn caught fire after a drone attack and later sank in the Black Sea, with Romanian authorities saying two people died and 11 crew members were rescued. Last month, NATO's top commander, US General Alex Grynkewich, urged member countries to publicly identify those they believe are responsible for drone incidents or sabotage once enough evidence has been gathered. The German government, meanwhile, took nearly a month to publicly blame Russia for an attempted August 4 attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport involving a drone carrying explosives. Together, the latest developments underline the growing risks to shipping and security in the Black Sea. With PTI Inputs- Ends