Two ships have been hit in a drone attack in the Black Sea off the coast of Bulgaria, a week after a similar incident.
asserted
ships → hit → incident
The Prime Minister of Bulgaria Rumen Radev wrote on social media that a Ukraine-owned ship was 'hit by three aerial drones', and shortly after another ship was hit and sank.
He said he intended to summon the Russian ambassador over the 'absolutely unacceptable' attacks.
asserted
he → write → attacks
One crew member from the sunken vessel was rescued, he said, without providing details on the others aboard.
asserted
he → sink → others
He said it was struck 17 nautical miles east of Krapets.
asserted
it → say → Krapets
The Ukrainian-owned 'Chelsea 3', sailing under Maltese flag, was damaged some 18 nautical miles east of Byala around 1.30am (2230 GMT).
asserted
Chelsea → own → 1.30am
Its crew - seven Ukrainians and eight Azerbaijanis - had been rescued and safely transported to the port of Varna.
asserted
crew → rescue → Varna
Five crew members received medical assistance, but no one was seriously injured.
asserted
one → receive → assistance
He called on NATO and the European Union for assistance, saying Bulgaria lacked clear evidence to identify who was responsible.
asserted
who → call → evidence
'Bulgaria continues to seek support for an investigation into the attacks to determine the country of origin of the drones,' he said.
asserted
he → continue → drones
Crew members from a ship damaged in a drone attack on October 6 disembark from a Bulgarian border police vessel in Varna, Bulgaria
Bulgarian authorities take an injured crew member to a hospital after two commercial vessels were attacked in the NATO member's Black Sea economic zone on October 6
'
asserted
vessels → damage → October
We are also seeking assistance to strengthen surveillance of the air and maritime domains and enhance our response capabilities.
asserted
We → seek → capabilities
'We do not have clear and conclusive evidence to attribute responsibility to either side.
asserted
We → have → side
'However, as I have already stated, the logic suggests that the outcome benefits the Russian Federation.'
uncertain
outcome → state → Federation
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said those responsible for the drone attacks must be held accountable.
asserted
those → say → attacks
She said the Black Sea had become another front of escalation in the Russian war against Ukraine, calling such attacks 'unacceptable'.
asserted
Sea → say → attacks
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga directly blamed Russia for the attacks, denouncing what he called Moscow's 'deliberate disregard for civilian lives and maritime security in the Black Sea'.
asserted
he → blame → Sea
Russia is attacking it to weaponise hunger and hold the world hostage,' he posted on X.
Last Tuesday, a merchant ship was sunk off the coast of Bulgaria while another was rescued after they were struck by drones.
It is not clear who carried out the attacks but Radev described it as a gross violation of international law.
asserted
Radev → attack → law
The ship, named Alfa Watan, sank around 70 miles off the coastal town of Byala and a rescue party was launched but the crew on board are still missing.
A Bulgarian ferry that witnessed the explosion rushed to the scene and discovered overturned life rafts and jackets near the ship that sank, but no crew were found.
Shipping sources said they appeared to be the first such attacks in Bulgarian waters.
asserted
they → name → waters
It comes amid growing concerns about hybrid attacks by Russia as it wages war in Ukraine.
asserted
it → come → Ukraine
While the search for the Alfa Watan crew was called off, survivors on the vessel Able, which was carrying grain, were rescued.
asserted
which → call → grain
All 18 crew members – 11 Turkish and seven Indian – were saved but two were injured and flown to a hospital in the port city of Varna.
The other, which sank, was a Togo-flagged ship whose cargo was not disclosed and it is unclear how many people were on board.
Radev said it was unclear where the drones came from but Russia is suspected to be behind the incident.
The cargo ship Alfa Watan is pictured in Turkey just one day before it was struck by a drone
The cargo vessel Able is pictured off the Turkish coast
Bulgaria, a Nato member, does not border either Russia or Ukraine but it holds a strategic position in the Black Sea, where the warring nations have major ports.
uncertain
nations → save → ports
The incident occurred some 140 nautical miles away from the Ukrainian coast.
asserted
incident → occur → coast
A maritime security source said initial assessments of the strike suggested it had probably been a Russian attack.
uncertain
it → say → strike
Radev did not say who was behind the incident but made a reference to Russia's war in Ukraine.
asserted
who → say → Ukraine
He said: 'If this war is not brought to an end in time, it will continue to expand its geographical scope and increase the risk of even a global conflict.
asserted
it → say → conflict
We are seeing the war intensify, with all the rules of international law now being violated, and civilian vessels being attacked at sea.
asserted
vessels → see → sea
The Bulgarian leader added: 'As a state responsible within our exclusive economic zone for the health and lives of anyone navigating in this area, regardless of who is responsible, we are obliged to conduct emergency search and rescue operations.
asserted
we → add → operations
What is happening is seriously disrupting shipping in the Black Sea, driving up insurance costs even further and making shipping extremely difficult.'
asserted
shipping → happen → costs
Russia did not immediately comment on the incident.
asserted
Russia → comment → incident
Von der Leyen said that attacks on civilian shipping are unacceptable.
asserted
attacks → say → shipping
She said: 'Commercial ships – and innocent crews – are being targeted, with lives already lost at sea.'
Hungarian prime minister Peter Magyar meanwhile said: 'Hungary stands in full solidarity with Bulgaria.'
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, European countries have reported Russian drones
breaching their airspace multiple times and mines floating in the Black Sea across trade and energy routes
.
asserted
mines → say → routes
The Aporia
