| |
Drones Hit Ships in Black Sea, Sink 1 10/13 06:26
Drones struck two ships in the Black Sea off Bulgaria on Tuesday, sinking
one and prompting emergency rescue operations, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said.
SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) -- Drones struck two ships in the Black Sea off
Bulgaria on Tuesday, sinking one and prompting emergency rescue operations,
Prime Minister Rumen Radev said.
The Guinea-Bissau-flagged cargo ship Dignity sank after it was hit by a
military strike. Five sailors were rescued, while a search for the other 11
crew members continues, Varna district governor Mario Smrkov said.
Rescuers evacuated all 15 crew members from the Ukrainian-operated coastal
freighter Chelsea 3, sailing under the Maltese flag, with five receiving
treatment for minor injuries, Radev said in a video posted to social media.
The crew, which included seven Ukrainian citizens and eight Azerbaijan
citizens, reported the ship's deck and hull were hit by three aerial drones.
The strikes on the two ships occurred 20 miles and 21 miles (32 and 34
kilometers) from the Bulgarian coast.
During an emergency meeting of Bulgaria's Security Council on Tuesday, Radev
called the attacks "absolutely unacceptable" and said Bulgaria was seeking NATO
and European Union assistance.
While authorities do not possess clear evidence on who was responsible for
the drone attacks, "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,"
Radev told the Russian Ambassador in Sofia during a meeting on Tuesday, the
government's press office reported.
The ambassador said that she does not have any information from the Russian
defense ministry related to the recent attacks on commercial vessels in the
Black Sea but added that she did not rule out the possibility that "these
attacks represent a provocation by a third party."
Radev has said that such attacks are unacceptable and that Bulgaria will
continue to investigate the attacks together with its EU and NATO allies to
establish the truth.
Radev said that Bulgaria is suffering significant economic and financial
damage and added that his country will initiate talks with neighboring Romania
and Turkey on joint proposals to guarantee the safety of shipping in the Black
Sea.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha in a post on X on Tuesday blamed
Russia for the attacks.
"Russia's latest attack on commercial vessels near Bulgaria's territorial
waters, which injured Ukrainian and Azerbaijani citizens, once again
demonstrates Moscow's deliberate disregard for civilian lives and maritime
security in the Black Sea," Sybiha wrote.
"The Black Sea is a lifeline for global food security. Russia is attacking
it to weaponize hunger and hold the world hostage. This must be met with
strength," Sybiha wrote.
"NATO will continue to work closely with our Allies in the Black Sea," NATO
Secretary General Mark Rutte wrote on X. He added that NATO had already
strengthened its posture along the eastern flank and will continue to monitor
the security environment, adjusting its deterrence and defense posture as
needed.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen "strongly condemned" the
drone incidents and said the Black Sea "has become another front of escalation"
in Russia's war in Ukraine.
"This is unacceptable. I strongly condemn the drone attacks on merchant
ships near Bulgaria's coast. Putting the lives of the crew in grave danger and
threatening security in the Black Sea," she said in a post on X.
"We stand with Bulgaria and thank its rescuers for their swift response.
Those responsible should be held accountable."
European Council President Antonio Costa said in a social media post that
the EU stood in full solidarity with Bulgaria following the attacks.
Costa said the growing number of Russian hybrid activities would be
discussed at the European Council meeting scheduled for Thursday and Friday in
Brussels.
The attacks came exactly a week after sea and aerial drones attacked two
other commercial vessels in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone in the Black
Sea. A Togo-flagged ship sank, while a Bulgarian ferry evacuated the 18-member
crew of a Pulau-flagged vessel.
A day earlier, a Turkish-owned cargo ship carrying corn caught fire
following a drone attack and later sank in the Black Sea off the coast of
Romania. Two people died and 11 crew members were rescued, Romanian authorities
said.
|
|
