Eleven sailors missing after drone attack sinks cargo ship off Bulgaria

Krapets, Bulgaria. Eleven sailors remained missing on Tuesday after a drone strike sank a cargo vessel near Krapets, Bulgarian officials said. The incident marked the area’s second deadly cargo-ship sinking within a week and prompted Bulgaria to summon Russia’s ambassador.

Two vessels struck overnight

Bulgarian officials reported overnight drone attacks on two cargo ships, with one vessel sinking. Five members of its crew were rescued, while 11 remained listed as missing.

Bulgarian media named the sunken vessel as Azov Concord. Its manager, based in Turkey, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Officials said three drones also struck Chelsea 3, which was operating under the Maltese flag. Rescuers brought all 15 crew members to safety: seven Ukrainians and eight Azerbaijanis. None suffered serious injuries.

Bulgaria summons Russian ambassador

Bulgarian authorities did not directly attribute the attacks to Russia. However, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said the outcome benefited the Russian Federation.

In a televised address, Radev described the latest attack near Bulgaria’s territorial waters as entirely unacceptable.

Moscow did not immediately comment on the incidents.

Ukraine and EU condemn attacks

Ukraine and the EU also condemned the strikes. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on X that the Black Sea had emerged as a further front in the escalation of Russia’s war in Ukraine, adding that those responsible needed to face accountability.

Writing on X on Tuesday, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the strike again showed Moscow’s intentional disregard for civilian lives. He described the Black Sea as essential to global food security and accused Russia of attacking it to use hunger as a weapon and hold the world hostage.