Eleven sailors are missing after a cargo ship sank following a drone attack off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast as marking the second major maritime attack in the area within a week.
Two commercial vessels were targeted early Tuesday. The cargo ship HS Dignity (also reported as Azov Concord) was struck and sank near the village of Krapets. Rescuers saved five crew members while search operations continue for the 11 missing sailors.
In a separate strike 33 kilometers off the coast, the Maltese-flagged cargo ship Chelsea 3 was hit by three drones. All 15 crew members—seven Ukrainians and eight Azerbaijanis were safely rescued with five receiving treatment for minor injuries.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev called the attacks "absolutely unacceptable" and asked NATO and the European Union for enhanced maritime and airspace surveillance support. While stopping short of directly blaming Moscow, Radev noted the strikes "benefit the Russian Federation." Bulgaria subsequently summoned the Russian ambassador denied knowledge of the attacks and suggested third-party provocation.
Ukrainian officials and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen strongly condemned the strikes also warning that the Black Sea has become another escalating front in the war.
The incident follows a similar attack just one week prior in which ten crew members went missing after another commercial vessel was sunk in Bulgaria's economic zone. The repeated strikes highlight growing dangers for civilian shipping and global trade routes across the Black Sea.
