Two ships hit in the early hours

Two commercial ships were hit by drones off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast in the early hours of Tuesday, 13 October, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said, calling it the second such incident in a week. The first vessel, the Chelsea 3, is Ukrainian-owned and sails under the Maltese flag. According to Radev, it was hit by three drones about 18 nautical miles off the coast around 1:30 a.m. local time and was damaged, not sunk. Varna's maritime rescue centre received the distress signal at 01:30 local time, according to Europa Press. A second vessel was struck in the same area and sank about 17 miles from Krapets.

Timeline of the Black Sea ship attacks, 13 October 2026
  1. Varna maritime rescue centre receives a distress signal about a vessel at 01:30 local time
  2. A second vessel is struck in the same area and sinks
  3. Radev announces he will summon the Russian ambassador and reports that NATO and EU representatives have been informed

Rescue of the crew

Radev wrote on Facebook that all 15 crew members of the Chelsea 3, seven Ukrainians and eight Azerbaijanis, were brought safely to the port of Varna. Five of them received medical care. A Bulgarian Border Police patrol deployed on an emergency basis carried out the rescue, according to Europa Press. For the sunken vessel, Radev said one crew member had been rescued, and he gave no further details about that ship. Bulgaria does not border Ukraine or Russia, but as a NATO member it holds a strategic position on the Black Sea, where both countries have significant ports.

Crew status after the attacks on two ships (people)
Chelsea 3 crew rescued15Chelsea 3 crew receiving medical care5Sunken vessel crew rescued1

Bulgaria's response

Radev said Bulgaria had informed NATO and EU permanent representatives and would keep asking for support in the investigation to identify the country the drones came from. Bulgaria also requested help to strengthen surveillance of its air and sea space and to improve its response capacity. Radev said there was no clear evidence to place responsibility on either side, but that the outcome favours the Russian Federation. Bulgaria's government has summoned Russia's ambassador in Sofia, according to Europa Press.

This is absolutely unacceptable -- another attack in the immediate vicinity of Bulgarian territorial waters.

— Rumen Radev

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga blamed Russia directly for the attacks, denouncing what he called Moscow's deliberate disregard for civilian lives and maritime security in the Black Sea.

Reaction from NATO and the EU

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte spoke with Radev about the latest attacks on merchant shipping in the Black Sea. In a social media post, Rutte said the alliance would keep working closely with its allies in the Black Sea region and had already strengthened its presence on the eastern flank. Europa Press reported that Rutte announced no new concrete measures. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned the drone attacks on merchant vessels off Bulgaria's coast, saying they put crew lives in serious danger and threatened security in the Black Sea. She said the Black Sea had become another front of Russia's escalation of its war in Ukraine and that those responsible must be held to account.

What remains unclear

No source names who carried out the attacks, and Radev said the evidence does not yet support accusations against any specific party. The origin of the drones has not been established, and the investigation is ongoing. The number of crew aboard the sunken vessel and the status of its remaining crew were not given in the reporting. Radev said the attacks were absolutely unacceptable and that Bulgaria would continue seeking support to monitor its airspace and waters.