# Bulgarian PM summons Russian envoy after Black Sea drone attacks

> Two merchant ships struck by drones off Bulgaria's coast; one sinks with 11 crew missing. Prime Minister Radev says the outcome benefits Russia, though no conclusive blame assigned.
- Title: Bulgarian PM summons Russian envoy after Black Sea drone…
- Summary: Two merchant ships struck by drones off Bulgaria's coast; one sinks with 11 crew missing. Prime Minister Radev says the outcome benefits Russia, though no…
- Keywords: breaking, bulgaria, black sea, drone attacks, merchant ships, russia, ukraine, nato, rumen radev, news, world, Bulgarian
- Source: BBC News — https://bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmn06w5x9g25o
- Published: 2026-10-13T08:52:48.426+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: breaking, bulgaria, black sea, drone attacks, merchant ships, russia, ukraine, nato, rumen radev, news, world
## Two ships hit off Bulgaria's coast
A Guinea-Bissau-flagged vessel sank seventeen nautical miles east of Krapets with eleven crew missing and five rescued. A Ukrainian-owned ship was hit eighteen nautical miles from Byala with all fifteen crew rescued.
## One ship identified as Chelsea-3
The Maltese-flagged Chelsea-3, registered in Ukraine's Odesa, was hit by drones. Five of its crew members were treated for minor injuries. The other vessel was named HS Dignity.
## Part of a pattern of attacks
The strikes come a week after two other commercial ships were hit by sea and aerial drones in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone. The Alfa Watan sank with all ten crew, including nine Syrians, presumed dead.
## Radev summons Russian ambassador
Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev convened an emergency meeting and summoned Russian envoy Eleonora Mitrofanova.

> the logic suggests that the outcome benefits the Russian Federation
## Russian ambassador denies knowledge
Mitrofanova told Radev she had no information from Russia's defence ministry relating to the latest attacks. She also said these strikes could have been a provocation by a third party.
## NATO secretary general responds
Bulgaria is a NATO member. Secretary General Mark Rutte said NATO will continue to work closely with allies in the Black Sea and will monitor the security environment, adjusting deterrence and defence posture as needed.

> Nato will continue to work closely with our allies in the Black Sea
## Attack narrowly missed triggering Article 5
The two ships were struck just outside Bulgarian territorial waters. If the attack had happened a few nautical miles to the west, Article 5 of the NATO treaty could have been triggered, treating an armed…
## Key takeaway

Two merchant ships were hit by drones off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast on Tuesday, with one sinking and eleven crew missing. Bulgarian PM Radev summoned the Russian ambassador, saying the attack's logic benefits Russia, while Ukraine blamed Moscow directly.