NATO may redeploy anti-drone defenses as attacks sink more Black Sea shipping
Suspected Russian drones have sunk or damaged 5 ships near Bulgaria and Romania.
On October 13, suspected Russian drone strikes targeted two vessels operating near the Bulgarian coastline in the Black Sea. A cargo ship was sunk, while a second vessel required evacuation. This marks the fifth drone attack against ships in the exclusive economic zones of NATO member nations, prompting calls for NATO to upgrade its anti-drone defenses for enhanced protection.
While there is no definitive evidence linking the drone attacks to Russia, it is notable that one of the affected vessels was the Ukrainian-flagged coastal freighter Chelsea 3. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev conveyed to the Russian ambassador in Sofia that it made no sense for Ukraine to destroy its own ships in the Black Sea, suggesting that the strikes were advantageous for Russia.
All fifteen crew members of the Ukrainian-owned Chelsea 3 were safely evacuated following the attack, which reportedly involved three drones.
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