Drones Hit Ships in Black Sea, Sink 1  10/13 06:26

   Drones struck two ships in the Black Sea off Bulgaria on Tuesday, sinking 
one and prompting emergency rescue operations, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said.

   SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) -- Drones struck two ships in the Black Sea off 
Bulgaria on Tuesday, sinking one and prompting emergency rescue operations, 
Prime Minister Rumen Radev said.

   The Guinea-Bissau-flagged cargo ship Dignity sank after it was hit by a 
military strike. Five sailors were rescued, while a search for the other 11 
crew members continues, Varna district governor Mario Smrkov said.

   Rescuers evacuated all 15 crew members from the Ukrainian-operated coastal 
freighter Chelsea 3, sailing under the Maltese flag, with five receiving 
treatment for minor injuries, Radev said in a video posted to social media.

   The crew, which included seven Ukrainian citizens and eight Azerbaijan 
citizens, reported the ship's deck and hull were hit by three aerial drones.

   The strikes on the two ships occurred 20 miles and 21 miles (32 and 34 
kilometers) from the Bulgarian coast.

   During an emergency meeting of Bulgaria's Security Council on Tuesday, Radev 
called the attacks "absolutely unacceptable" and said Bulgaria was seeking NATO 
and European Union assistance.

   While authorities do not possess clear evidence on who was responsible for 
the drone attacks, "it makes no sense for Ukraine to destroy its own ships in 
the Black Sea, and the results of these strikes favor Russia's interests," 
Radev told the Russian Ambassador in Sofia during a meeting on Tuesday, the 
government's press office reported.

   The ambassador said that she does not have any information from the Russian 
defense ministry related to the recent attacks on commercial vessels in the 
Black Sea but added that she did not rule out the possibility that "these 
attacks represent a provocation by a third party."

   Radev has said that such attacks are unacceptable and that Bulgaria will 
continue to investigate the attacks together with its EU and NATO allies to 
establish the truth.

   Radev said that Bulgaria is suffering significant economic and financial 
damage and added that his country will initiate talks with neighboring Romania 
and Turkey on joint proposals to guarantee the safety of shipping in the Black 
Sea.

   Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha in a post on X on Tuesday blamed 
Russia for the attacks.

   "Russia's latest attack on commercial vessels near Bulgaria's territorial 
waters, which injured Ukrainian and Azerbaijani citizens, once again 
demonstrates Moscow's deliberate disregard for civilian lives and maritime 
security in the Black Sea," Sybiha wrote.

   "The Black Sea is a lifeline for global food security. Russia is attacking 
it to weaponize hunger and hold the world hostage. This must be met with 
strength," Sybiha wrote.

   "NATO will continue to work closely with our Allies in the Black Sea," NATO 
Secretary General Mark Rutte wrote on X. He added that NATO had already 
strengthened its posture along the eastern flank and will continue to monitor 
the security environment, adjusting its deterrence and defense posture as 
needed.

   European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen "strongly condemned" the 
drone incidents and said the Black Sea "has become another front of escalation" 
in Russia's war in Ukraine.

   "This is unacceptable. I strongly condemn the drone attacks on merchant 
ships near Bulgaria's coast. Putting the lives of the crew in grave danger and 
threatening security in the Black Sea," she said in a post on X.

   "We stand with Bulgaria and thank its rescuers for their swift response. 
Those responsible should be held accountable."

   European Council President Antonio Costa said in a social media post that 
the EU stood in full solidarity with Bulgaria following the attacks.

   Costa said the growing number of Russian hybrid activities would be 
discussed at the European Council meeting scheduled for Thursday and Friday in 
Brussels.

   The attacks came exactly a week after sea and aerial drones attacked two 
other commercial vessels in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone in the Black 
Sea. A Togo-flagged ship sank, while a Bulgarian ferry evacuated the 18-member 
crew of a Pulau-flagged vessel.

   A day earlier, a Turkish-owned cargo ship carrying corn caught fire 
following a drone attack and later sank in the Black Sea off the coast of 
Romania. Two people died and 11 crew members were rescued, Romanian authorities 
said.