Overnight on 13 October drones hit two cargo ships off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast; one sank and 11 crew members are missing.
Overnight on 13 October drones struck two cargo ships off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast, and one of them sank. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev announced it in a televised address. Volunteers Support Ukraine follows these events because the safety of shipping lanes matters to people in Ukraine too.
The Ukrainian-owned, Malta-flagged Chelsea 3 was hit by three drones at about 1:30 a.m., roughly 18 nautical miles off the Bulgarian coast. All 15 crew members, seven Ukrainians and eight Azerbaijanis, were rescued; five received medical help and none was seriously hurt. The second vessel, identified by Bulgarian President Iliana Iotova as the Guinea-Bissau-flagged HS Dignity, sank off the village of Krapets near the Romanian border. Five crew members were rescued, 11 are missing, and the search and rescue operation continues.
Radev called the incident "absolutely unacceptable" but said there is no clear evidence of who carried it out, although "the outcome benefits" russia; the russian ambassador is to be summoned. President Zelensky blamed russia for the attack. According to media reports, drones had already hit two ships off the same coast a week earlier, and one of them sank.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned the attacks and said the Black Sea has become another front of escalation in russia's war against Ukraine. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the alliance will adjust its defenses as needed.
Volunteers Support Ukraine keeps helping people affected by the war with whatever aid is available.
