Sailors missing after drone attacks hit Black Sea ships near Bulgaria

Tue Oct 06 2026 13:25:53 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

A merchant vessel sank after a drone strike in the Black Sea, leaving crew missing, while another ship’s crew were rescued. Bulgarian officials condemn the attacks.

A Ukrainian‑flagged merchant ship has sunk in the Black Sea after a drone attack, leaving its crew missing, while a second grain‑laden vessel was also struck but its 18 crew rescued. The incidents occurred within Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone, about 70 miles off the coast of Byala. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev condemned the strikes as a flagrant violation of maritime law, noting the vessels’ flags and the ongoing escalation of Russia‑Ukraine tensions. The attacks follow a separate strike near Odesa that killed one crew member and injured seven, reflecting a broader pattern of maritime aggression in the region.

A merchant ship has sunk after a drone strike in the Black Sea, leaving its crew missing, Bulgarian officials say. The vessel was flagged to Togo.

A second ship, carrying grain, was also hit within Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone. Its 18‑person crew, including two injured in a fire, was rescued by Bulgarian vessels.

The attacks took place at approximately 03:00 local time, about 70 miles off the coast of Byala, Bulgaria, according to Prime Minister Rumen Radev. No country has claimed responsibility.

Radev called the strikes a flagrant violation of maritime law, saying that any attack within Bulgaria’s waters is “absolutely unacceptable.”

The incidents come amid intensified Russian strikes in the Black Sea as part of the war against Ukraine. A separate strike near Odesa the previous week caused a crew member’s death and injured seven others.

Russia’s defense ministry announced it would intensify operations in response to Ukrainian calls for increased strikes on Russian oil refineries. The full‑scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.