Another Vessel Sinks in Black Sea off Bulgaria Following Drone Attack; 11 Missing

A cargo vessel has sunk off the coast of Bulgaria after being attacked by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), Reuters reported on the 13th (local time).

According to Bulgarian authorities, two cargo ships were attacked overnight in the Black Sea off the Bulgarian coast, with one of them sinking.

Five crew members from the sunken ship have been rescued, while 11 remain missing.

Local media reported that the sunken vessel was the Azov Concord, belonging to a Turkish shipping company.

The other vessel, the Malta-flagged Chelsea 3, had all of its passengers safely rescued.

A week ago on the 6th, two merchant ships were also attacked in the Black Sea off Bulgaria, resulting in one sinking.

In a televised address earlier in the day, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev did not directly point the finger at Russia for the attack, but noted that the outcome of the incident "benefits Russia."

He added, "It is unacceptable that another attack has occurred right near Bulgarian territorial waters."

The Bulgarian government has summoned the Russian ambassador stationed in the country.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen posted on X (formerly Twitter), saying, "The Black Sea has become another front line where Russia's war in Ukraine is intensifying," and condemned the incident by stating, "Those responsible must pay the price."

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also wrote on X, "This once again confirms Moscow's attitude of deliberately disregarding civilian lives," placing the blame squarely on Russia.

Minister Sybiha claimed, "The Black Sea is a lifeline for global food security," adding, "Russia is attacking this area to weaponize hunger and take the entire world hostage."

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.