Bulgaria says Russia was likely behind Black Sea strikes as search for missing crew continues

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Bulgaria says Russia was likely behind Black Sea strikes as search for missing crew continues

The Guinea-Bissau-flagged cargo ship Dignity sank on Tuesday after it was hit by a military strike

Neve Dawson Wednesday 14 October 2026 14:55 BST

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Bulgaria said on Wednesday that Russia was likely behind drone attacks that hit four vessels in the Black Sea over the past week, though it noted there was no way of proving Moscow‘s culpability.

Rescuers continue to search for 11 missing crew members after strikes on Tuesday sank two ships in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone and adjacent waters. Five other crew members were rescued.

One of the ships is registered to Guinea-Bissau, while the other – the Chelsea-3 – is Ukrainian-owned, registered in Odesa and sails under the flag of Malta, a European Union member.

“There is no logic in Ukraine attacking its own ships and crews, given that the outcome of all these attacks favours Russia — and indeed, the logic points in that direction. The problem is that we cannot prove it,” Bulgarian prime minister Rumen Radev told Parliament.

Radev on Tuesday summoned the Russian ambassador to Sofia, who said she does not have any information from the Russian defence ministry but she did not rule out the possibility that “these attacks represent a provocation by a third party.”

The Guinea-Bissau-flagged cargo ship Dignity sank on Tuesday after it was hit by a military strike.

Four sailors, three Syrian nationals and one Egyptian, were rescued and arrived in the port of Varna, district Gov. Mario Smarkov said.

“All four appeared to be in relatively good condition and had sustained no injuries,” he said. A fifth sailor is expected to arrive later on Wednesday.

Smarkov said the search for the 11 missing crew members continues.

Bulgaria has requested international assistance for the investigation into attacks on commercial vessels, as well as NATO support to strengthen surveillance and control systems and response capabilities against drone attacks.

President Iliana Yotova called for an immediate halt to hostilities in the Black Sea and a moratorium on drone attacks against commercial and civilian infrastructure, following the latest drone attacks.

“The unprecedented attacks demonstrate that the war has reached the Black Sea and that the conflict is intensifying,” Yotova said in an TV interview on Tuesday.

She explained that coordinated steps have been taken with her colleagues from Romania and Turkey in the wake of the growing risks and dangers in the Black Sea basin.

“The aim is a moratorium on the use of drones over the Black Sea against commercial and civilian infrastructure and to halt hostilities over the sea,” Yotova said.

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Black SeaBulgariaRussiaSofiaMoscowEuropean UnionNato

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