A drone strike 70 miles off the Bulgarian coast in the Black Sea sank a Togo‑flagged general cargo vessel, the ALFA WATAN, and left its crew missing, authorities said on Tuesday. The attack also struck a Palau‑flagged ship, the ABLE, which was rescued with two crew members injured.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned the incident, calling the targeting of civilian shipping “unacceptable” and warning that lives were already lost at sea. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said the attack was a serious breach of maritime and international law, linking it to Russia’s war in Ukraine and stressing that the conflict’s expansion threatens global security.
Investigations are underway to determine who launched the drones. Initial assessments from a maritime security source suggest a Russian origin, though no official comment has been made by Moscow. A search has been launched for the missing crew and for any environmental hazards.
The incident follows a series of similar attacks in the Black Sea, including a Romanian‑reported fire on a ship outside its territorial waters that killed two people and was blamed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Russian drones. Russian authorities have not yet responded to the latest Bulgarian attack.
