On October 13, suspected Russian drone attacks sank a cargo ship and prompted the evacuation of another vessel near the coast of Bulgaria in the Black Sea. These incidents mark the fifth attack on ships within the exclusive economic zones of NATO member countries, leading to calls for NATO to redeploy counter-drone systems for enhanced protection.
While there is no definitive evidence linking the drone attacks to Russia, one of the targeted vessels was the Ukrainian-operated coastal freighter Chelsea 3, which is registered under the flag of Malta. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev conveyed to the Russian ambassador in Sofia that “it makes no sense for Ukraine to destroy its own ships in the Black Sea, and the results of these strikes favor Russia’s interests,” as reported by the Associated Press.
All 15 crew members of the Ukrainian-owned Chelsea 3 were safely evacuated by Bulgarian rescue operations after the ship was reportedly struck by three aerial drones.