Bulgaria summons Russian ambassador after ship sinks in Black Sea drone attack

Bulgaria has summoned the Russian ambassador following drone attacks on two merchant ships in the Black Sea, resulting in the sinking of one vessel and the rescue of crew members. The Guinea-Bissau-flagged HS Dignity, carrying ten crew members, sank 17 nautical miles east of the village of Krapets after sending a distress signal.

Ten crew members remain missing, while the Ukrainian-owned Chelsea-3, hit 18 nautical miles from the town of Byala, had all fifteen crew members rescued. These attacks occurred a week after two other commercial ships were also targeted by drones within Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone, with one vessel sinking and all crew presumed dead.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev convened an emergency meeting and summoned Russian envoy Eleonora Mitrofanova, who stated she had no information from Russia's defence ministry regarding the latest attacks. She suggested these strikes could have been a provocation by a third party. As a NATO member, Bulgaria's capital city of Sofia is in close communication with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte over the recent incidents.

The proximity of the incidents to Bulgarian territorial waters raises concerns about whether an armed attack would trigger Article 5 of the NATO treaty, which defines an armed attack on one member as an attack on all.