Eleven sailors missing after drone sinks ship off Bulgaria

SOFIA, Bulgaria: Eleven sailors remain missing after a drone attack sunk their cargo ship off the Bulgarian coast, marking the second deadly sinking of a vessel in the region within a week, prompting Bulgaria to summon Russia's ambassador. Two cargo ships were targeted by drones overnight, with one sinking while the other was damaged, Bulgarian officials reported.

Prime Minister Rumen Radev did not explicitly blame Russia for the attacks but stated that the outcome benefits the Russian Federation. No comment from Moscow has been made yet. The attacks drew condemnation from Ukraine and the EU, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen describing the Black Sea as another front in the Russian war in Ukraine.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha accused Russia of deliberately disregarding civilian lives, asserting that the Black Sea is a lifeline for global food security and is now being weaponized to hold the world hostage. Bulgarian media identified the sunk vessel as the Azov Concord, with its Turkish-based manager not immediately available for comment.

The nearby ship, Chelsea 3, with a crew of seven Ukrainians and eight Azerbaijanis, was hit by three drones but all crew members were rescued without serious injuries. A week ago, nine Syrian sailors and one Egyptian perished when a ship sank after being hit by drones in Bulgaria's Black Sea exclusive economic zone; another vessel also suffered damage but its crew was rescued.

This escalation in Black Sea shipping activity comes as the war in Ukraine, launched by Russia in 2022, enters its fourth year, with both nations among the world's largest exporters of grain and both targeting each other's grain-exporting ships in the region.