SOFIA, Bulgaria — Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said two commercial vessels were struck by drones on Tuesday in the first attack on shipping in the NATO member's exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea.
“This is an unacceptable attack in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone. It is a blatant violation of international law and maritime law,” Radev said.
Speaking after an emergency government meeting, Radev said sea and aerial drones attacked the ships at around 3 a.m., about 80 miles (128 kilometers) off Bulgaria 's coast.
The Togo-flagged Alfa Watan suffered critical structural damage and sank at the scene. There was no immediate word on the crew’s fate, he said.
The second vessel, the Palau-flagged Able, caught fire after the attack. A Bulgarian ferry evacuated all 18 crew members. Two sailors suffered severe injuries and were flown to a hospital in the port city of Varna, Radev said.
The origin of the drones was not immediately established.
According to the available information, the Able was carrying wheat and sailing south, while the Alfa Watan was heading north. The Alfa Watan’s cargo was unknown, Radev said, adding 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.
“What is happening is seriously disrupting shipping in the Black Sea, driving up insurance costs even further and making shipping extremely difficult,” Radev said.
He warned that the war was expanding geographically and increasing the risk of global conflict.
The attacks came a day after a Turkish-owned cargo ship carrying corn caught fire following a drone attack and later sank in the Black Sea. Two people died and 11 crew members were rescued, Romanian authorities said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described that attack as “a horrific strike by two Russian drones on a civilian vessel” in neutral waters.
NATO declined to comment and referred all inquiries about the drone attacks to Bulgarian authorities.
Last month, the alliance’s top commander, U.S. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, urged member countries to publicly identify those they believe responsible for drone incidents or acts of sabotage once sufficient evidence has been gathered.
The German government took almost a month to publicly blame Russia for an attempted Aug. 4 attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport involving a drone laden with explosives.
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