Drone Attacks Sink Two Cargo Ships in NATO Waters, Killing Sailors in Black Sea Escalation

Drone attacks sank two cargo ships and damaged a third within the exclusive economic zones of NATO member Bulgaria and Romania in the Black Sea on October 5 and 6. At least two sailors were killed. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev condemned the strikes as a violation of international law, while EU President Ursula von der Leyen called attacks on civilian shipping unacceptable. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy attributed the strikes to Russia, stating Ukraine was not operating in that area.

Drone attacks on three cargo vessels killed two crew members and left one ship with hull damage, marking the first recorded incidents of this kind inside the exclusive economic zones of alliance member states. On 6 October, a coordinated wave of sea-launched and airborne drones targeted two vessels navigating waters roughly 80 miles (128 kilometres) from the Bulgarian coast — the Togo-flagged freighter Alfa Watan sank completely, while the Palau-flagged freighter Able sustained a fire, according to news reports. Three drone strikes on Black Sea vessels prompted von der Leyen, in her capacity as European Commission President, to post on X that full details had yet to be established while characterising the situation as one of growing concern — her statement also held that attacks on civilian shipping ran counter to accepted norms and expressed solidarity with member states on the eastern flank; on a separate track, Zelenskyy, drawing on a joint naval inquiry carried out alongside Bulgaria, told a news outlet that the most recent incident appeared to involve a coordinated operation in which both waterborne and airborne drone systems were deployed together.

Drone Attacks Sink Two Cargo Ships in NATO Waters, Killing Sailors in Black Sea Escalation

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Drone Attacks Sink Two Cargo Ships in NATO Waters, Killing Sailors in Black Sea Escalation

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