A drone attack sank one vessel and damaged another merchant ship operating off Bulgaria`s Black Sea coastline, Prime Minister Rumen Radev confirmed on Tuesday. The strikes targeted two vessels in international waters adjacent to the Balkan nation`s exclusive maritime zone. Among the targeted hulls was the Ukrainian-owned cargo ship Chelsea 3, which was navigating under the Maltese maritime registry when the aerial munitions hit.
One crew member was pulled from the water following the sinking of the second vessel.
Bulgarian maritime officials stated that the Chelsea 3 sustained direct structural damage approximately 18 nautical miles east of the coastline around 1:30 a.m. local time. Border police cutters mobilized immediately to rescue the entire 15-member crew, consisting of seven Ukrainian nationals and eight Azerbaijani crewmen. Medical teams treated five sailors for minor trauma upon arrival at port facilities, with authorities confirming none sustained life-threatening injuries.
In a national televised address, Prime Minister Radev denounced the operation as completely unacceptable. He emphasized that the strike represented another alarming escalation occurring in the immediate vicinity of Bulgaria`s sovereign sea boundary. Sofia is continuing to consult with regional allies to assess the maritime risk landscape along commercial transit corridors.
Authorities have not established conclusive physical evidence identifying the operators behind the unmanned aircraft.
Radev noted that while direct technical attribution remains unresolved, the operational outcome inevitably benefits strategic Russian interests in the littoral zone. Bulgarian foreign ministry officials confirmed they would summon the Russian ambassador in Sofia to address the incidents and seek formal clarification. Russian diplomatic officials have historically denied receiving operational reports concerning assaults on civilian merchant traffic in the corridor.
As a member of NATO, Bulgaria occupies an essential perimeter bordering sensitive maritime lanes utilized by both Ukrainian and Russian merchant ports. The steady expansion of aerial drone operations across the western basin continues to disrupt international trade routes. Maritime security analysts warn that unchecked attacks on commercial shipping will compound economic risks across regional transport corridors.
