Bulgaria said Tuesday that a cargo ship struck by a drone in its exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea had sunk, leaving 10 crew members missing, in what appeared to mark a further escalation of the threat the Russia-Ukraine war poses to European countries. While it has not yet been determined which side was responsible for the attack, a maritime security official said initial assessments indicated that the drone that struck the vessel, as well as other drones that attacked in the area, were launched by Russia.
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The Royad Mammadov, which was attacked near Romania and whose crew was evacuated Monday
(Photo: Romanian Interior Ministry/Handout via REUTERS)
Evacuation of the wounded after a drone struck the ABLE, also Turkish-owned. Two people were seriously wounded
(Photo: Bulgarian News Agency via AP)
The attack reported Tuesday occurred at around 3 a.m., about 112 kilometers (70 miles) from the eastern Bulgarian coastal town of Byala, with drones striking two cargo ships. The Alfa Watan, sailing under the flag of Togo, sustained critical damage and sank, while the ABLE, sailing under the flag of Palau, caught fire following the attack.
All 18 crew members aboard the ABLE — 11 Turkish nationals and seven Indians — were rescued by a ferry. Two of the sailors were found to be seriously wounded and were taken to a hospital in the port city of Varna. Both vessels, which are Turkish-owned, sent distress signals after being hit by the drones.
Tuesday's strikes marked the first time vessels had been attacked in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone and came amid growing concern in Europe over Russian hybrid attacks on countries across the continent as Moscow continues its war against Ukraine. Although Bulgaria does not border Russia or Ukraine, it occupies a strategic position on the Black Sea, home to major ports of both countries.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev described Tuesday morning's strike as a blatant violation of international law. However, following an emergency government meeting he convened, Radev stressed that it was not yet clear whether the drones had been launched by Russia or Ukraine.
Eleven Turks and seven Indians. The crew of the ABLE, which survived the attack, is evacuated
(Photo: STRINGER / AFP)
Evacuation of the ABLE's crew
(Photo: STRINGER / AFP)
Tuesday's attack came after a separate incident Monday in which the grain-carrying cargo ship Royad Mammadov caught fire and sank off the coast of Romania. One person, believed to be the ship's Azerbaijani captain, was killed and another was reported missing. That ship, also Turkish-owned, was likewise reported to have been struck by drones, which Ukraine said had been launched from Russia.
Drone incidents have become increasingly frequent in recent months across Eastern Europe and the Black Sea. At least 45 merchant vessels have been attacked over the past year in parts of the Black Sea not previously considered high-risk.
Zelensky: Russia preparing 'massive attack' on Ukraine
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that the latest intelligence suggested Russia was preparing a "massive attack" on Ukraine.
"There is updated intelligence indicating that Russia is preparing a massive attack," Zelensky said in his nightly video address. "Ukrainian services and our air force are ready to respond to the extent permitted by our available means of defense."
Zelensky said Ukraine's position depended largely on what its allies could provide in terms of weaponry to defend against a new Russian attack. "A great deal depends on our partners, on every leader and every country in the world that has the defensive capabilities we need and can provide them to us," he said.
"It is critically important that there be the political will to do so, particularly in the United States, in Europe and among our other partners."
Kyiv moves to scheduled power outages: 'Use electricity responsibly'
Meanwhile, Russia continues to attack key bridges in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, as part of a new strategy it has pursued since last Thursday. The attacks have already partially or completely halted traffic on three of the city's six bridges spanning the Dnipro River.
On Tuesday, Russia said it had again attacked Kyiv's Northern Bridge, once more claiming that it did so because the bridge was being used to transport military forces.
Putin's hard-to-intercept drones strike Kyiv's bridges
Protective nets deployed over roads in Kyiv. The goal is to block jet-powered drones
(Photo: STRINGER / AFP)
Russia has recently begun attacking Ukraine with new, extremely fast jet-powered drones, which Ukraine has so far found much more difficult to intercept than older types of drones. Over the weekend, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged that his military was managing to intercept only about 60% of the unmanned aircraft, mainly using fighter jets.
In recent days, the drones have exploded not only on bridges but also at schools, supermarket warehouses and energy facilities. Russia has said the attacks are retaliation for drone strikes Ukraine has recently carried out deep inside Russian territory, which have caused extensive damage to Russia's oil industry and subsequently triggered a fuel crisis in the country. Drone explosions on the bridges have caused massive traffic jams across large parts of Kyiv in recent days.
On Tuesday, journalists and Kyiv residents noticed that authorities had deployed protective nets over the Northern Bridge, one of the city's main crossings, for the first time in an effort to prevent the new drones from hitting it or limit the damage from a strike. It was unclear whether the nets were installed before or after Russia announced Tuesday that the bridge had been hit again.
The protective net over the Northern Bridge in Kyiv on Tuesday
The net over the Northern Bridge
(Photo: STRINGER / AFP)
A drone explodes on a bridge over the Dnipro River on Saturday
(Photo: REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko )
One of the traffic jams in Kyiv over the weekend following drone strikes on bridges
(Photo: Thomas Peter)
Protective nets like the one deployed Tuesday in Kyiv had already been widely used by Ukraine in the country's east and south, near the front line, where they are also intended to protect key transportation routes. Elsewhere in Ukraine, such nets stretch across entire streets, particularly in the Donbas region in the country's east.
Ukraine believes Russia's ongoing wave of airstrikes is aimed at plunging the country into an energy crisis ahead of winter. On Tuesday, Ukrainian energy company DTEK announced restrictions and disruptions to electricity supplies in Kyiv following heavy Russian attacks on energy facilities.
"The capital is moving to scheduled power outages to stabilize the grid," the company said on Telegram, adding that the measure was being implemented at the request of national grid operator Ukrenergo.
"Please use electricity responsibly. This will help reduce the load on the grid and prevent emergency power outages."
The company said the outages would begin at 3 p.m. local time and continue through the end of Tuesday.