Rescue operation after the sinking

Two ships were hit by drones of unknown origin in the Black Sea off Bulgaria's coast on Monday 13 October 2026, and one of them sank, according to Prime Minister Rumen Radev, who said the strikes triggered emergency rescue operations.

Bulgarian authorities initially reported that one person had been rescued from the sunken vessel and 15 people were picked up from the other ship. In a later update, they said five people had been rescued from the sunken ship and that 11 crew members are still missing.

Radev: 'absolutely unacceptable'

Radev called the attacks "absolutely unacceptable" and said he would seek assistance from Nato and the European Union.

He said there was no "clear and conclusive evidence to attribute responsibility" yet, but that "the logic suggests that the outcome benefits the Russian Federation".

Von der Leyen condemns attacks

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen condemned the strikes, saying: "I strongly condemn the drone attacks on merchant ships near Bulgaria's coast". She said those responsible should be held accountable.

In her view, the Black Sea has become another front of escalation of the Russian war in Ukraine. She thanked Bulgaria's rescuers for their swift response, saying the attacks put the lives of the crew in grave danger and threatened security in the Black Sea.

Second attack in a week and reaction in Warsaw

The attack came exactly one week after a similar incident in which one ship sank with its crew on board, the other was evacuated and 18 people were rescued.

The strikes happened as several European foreign ministers met at the Warsaw Security Forum in Poland, including Britain's Ed Miliband, Germany's Johann Wadephul and Ukraine's Andrii Sybiha. Eleven crew members from the sunken ship remain missing, and Radev said he would seek assistance from Nato and the European Union.