Brief
Drones sink two cargo ships in NATO waters, killing at least two sailors
Two cargo ships were sunk and a third damaged by drones in NATO exclusive economic zones, prompting condemnation from Bulgaria and the EU.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Drones sank the Togo‑flagged cargo ship Alfa Watan and set fire to the Palau‑flagged Able about 80 miles off Bulgaria on Oct. 6, while a Turkish‑owned vessel, Royad Mammadov, was hit in Romania’s EEZ on Oct. 5, according to the Associated Press and Euronews.
At least two sailors died, two were severely injured and flown to Varna, and 18 crew members of Able were rescued by a Bulgarian ferry. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the strikes “increasingly concerning” on X, while Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev called them an “unacceptable attack” and a violation of international law. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, cited by Reuters, said a joint Bulgarian‑Ukrainian investigation linked the attacks to a Russian combined sea‑and‑air drone operation.
Key facts
- Drones sank the Togo‑flagged Alfa Watan and set fire to the Palau‑flagged Able off Bulgaria on Oct. 6. (arstechnica.com)
- Two sailors were killed and two injured crew members were flown to a hospital in Varna. (arstechnica.com)
- Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said a joint investigation found the strikes were a Russian combined sea‑and‑air drone attack. (arstechnica.com)
- EU President von der Leyen described the attacks as increasingly concerning on X. (arstechnica.com)
- Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev called the attacks an unacceptable violation of international law. (arstechnica.com)
Sources
- [1] arstechnica.com — originally reported as “Drone strikes, likely Russian, sink ships in NATO countries’ economic zones”
