{
  "id": 14165184,
  "title": "Two ships struck off Bulgaria in latest Black Sea attack",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/13/two-ships-struck-off-bulgaria-in-latest-black-sea-attack",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-13T08:47:28.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Gulf News",
    "slug": "gulf-news",
    "url": "https://gulfnews.com/world/europe/two-ships-struck-off-bulgaria-in-latest-black-sea-attack-2-1.500708625"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On Tuesday, Bulgaria reported that two ships had been targeted off its coastline, prompting Prime Minister Rumen Radev to summon the Russian ambassador. Radev disclosed that a Ukrainian-owned cargo vessel, the Chelsea 3, was struck by three aerial drones, resulting in the swift rescue of all 15 crew members, consisting of seven Ukrainians and eight Azerbaijanis. Shortly after, another ship was hit and subsequently sank, with only one crew member being rescued. While acknowledging the lack of definitive evidence pointing to a specific perpetrator, Radev suggested that the attacks favored Russia.\n\nUkraine's drone attack has triggered alarm, prompting Bulgaria to seek technical assistance from NATO and the European Maritime Safety Agency to ascertain the origin of the series of incidents. NATO chief Mark Rutte and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen both condemned the attacks, with von der Leyen emphasizing the escalation of the Russian war in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga denounced the strikes, accusing Russia of disregarding civilian lives and maritime security in the Black Sea. This surge in drone attacks across eastern European countries, including Bulgaria and Romania, has raised serious concerns about maritime safety and global food security.",
  "summary": "Sofia: Two ships were struck off the Bulgarian coast on Tuesday, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said, adding that he would summon the Russian ambassador over the latest such incident in the Black Sea. Radev wrote on social media that a Ukrainian-owned cargo ship was “hit by three aerial drones”, and shortly afterwards another ship was hit and sank. “We lack solid, clear evidence to level accusations…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 7,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Times of India",
        "title": "Drone attack sinks ship off Bulgaria coast, second strike in a week",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/13/drone-attack-sinks-ship-off-bulgaria-coast-second-strike-in-a-week",
        "published": "2026-10-13T06:42:54.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Al Jazeera",
        "title": "Drone attack sinks ship off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, PM says",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/13/drone-attack-sinks-ship-off-bulgarias-black-sea-coast-pm-says",
        "published": "2026-10-13T07:36:38.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Meduza (English)",
        "title": "Drones attack two cargo ships off Bulgaria’s coast, one Ukrainian-owned. Sofia plans to summon Russian ambassador.",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/13/drones-attack-two-cargo-ships-off-bulgarias-coast-one-ukrainian-owned",
        "published": "2026-10-13T08:19:06.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Business Recorder",
        "title": "Two ships hit as drones attack off Bulgaria: PM",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/13/two-ships-hit-as-drones-attack-off-bulgaria-pm",
        "published": "2026-10-13T08:19:46.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "BBC World",
        "title": "Ship sinks in new drone attack off Bulgaria, PM summons Russian ambassador",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/13/ship-sinks-in-new-drone-attack-off-bulgaria-pm-summons-russian",
        "published": "2026-10-13T08:52:48.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "IOL",
        "title": "Two ships struck off Bulgaria in latest Black Sea attack",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/13/two-ships-struck-off-bulgaria-in-latest-black-sea-attack-14168062",
        "published": "2026-10-13T09:17:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}