Drone attack sinks ship off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, PM says

Two ships were hit in the attack, including the Ukrainian-owned Chelsea 3, which sustained damage.

A Bulgarian border police vessel carrying crew members from a ship damaged in a drone attack, in Varna, following a rescue operation after one vessel was sunk and another damaged in the Black Sea off Bulgaria, October 6, 2026 [Petko Momchilov/Reuters]

Two ships have been hit in drone attacks off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, with one of them sinking, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said.

The Ukrainian-owned Chelsea 3, which was sailing under a Maltese flag, was hit by three drones and damaged about 18 nautical miles (33km) off Bulgaria at about 1:30am on Tuesday (22:30 GMT on Monday), Radev said.

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Radev said its 15-man crew, seven of them Ukrainians and eight Azerbaijanis, was rescued. Five crew members received medical assistance, and no one was seriously injured.

He added that one crew member from the ship that sank was also rescued.

Radev called the incident “absolutely unacceptable”.

“Another attack in the immediate vicinity of Bulgarian territorial waters,” he said in a televised address, adding, “I am due to speak with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.”

Radev said there was no clear evidence of who carried out the attack, but “the outcome benefits” Russia and that the Russian ambassador would be summoned over the incident.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned the attack on the ships.

“The Black Sea has become another front of escalation of the Russian war in Ukraine,” she said.

“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 wrote on X.

“We stand with Bulgaria and thank its rescuers for their swift response. Those responsible should be held accountable,” von der Leyen added.

As a member of the NATO military alliance, Bulgaria holds a strategic position on the Black Sea, where Russia and Ukraine have vital ports.

The incident comes as concerns grow over hybrid attacks involving Russia.

Last week, drones hit two ships off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast , causing one to sink. All 10 crew members from the ship that sank remain unaccounted for .

袭击中两艘船只中弹，其中包括乌克兰所有的“切尔西3号”货轮，该货轮受损。

2026年10月6日，在保加利亚黑海附近海域，一艘保加利亚边防警察船只载着一艘在无人机袭击中受损船只的船员，此前该船在一次救援行动中被击沉，另一艘受损。[Petko Momchilov/路透社]

保加利亚总理鲁门·拉德夫表示，两艘船只在保加利亚黑海沿岸遭到无人机袭击，其中一艘沉没。

拉德夫说，悬挂马耳他国旗的乌克兰所有的“切尔西3号”帆船于周二凌晨1点30分左右（格林尼治标准时间周一22:30）在保加利亚海岸约18海里（33公里）处遭到三架无人机的袭击并受损。

北约表示，如果联盟遭到攻击，将“不惜一切代价”应对，以下是清单中的第1条。

俄罗斯和乌克兰在“能源停火”前景不明朗之际，因贸易摩擦而引发的三场冲突（列表 2）

特朗普坚称能源停火协议有效，而乌克兰方面报告称俄罗斯再次发动袭击（共3条，此为第3条）。

拉德夫表示，船上15名船员全部获救，其中7人为乌克兰人，8人为阿塞拜疆人。5名船员接受了医疗救助，无人重伤。

他还补充说，沉船上的一名船员也获救了。

拉德夫称这一事件“绝对不可接受”。

他在电视讲话中说：“保加利亚领海附近再次遭到袭击。”他还补充说：“我将与北约秘书长马克·吕特通话。”

拉德夫表示，目前尚无明确证据表明是谁实施了袭击，但“结果对”俄罗斯有利，俄罗斯大使将就此事被召见。

欧盟委员会主席乌尔苏拉·冯德莱恩谴责了对船只的袭击。

“黑海已经成为俄罗斯在乌克兰战争升级的另一个前线，”她说。

“这是不可接受的。我强烈谴责无人机袭击保加利亚海岸附近的商船。这严重危及船员的生命，并威胁黑海的安全。”她在X上写道。

冯德莱恩补充说：“我们与保加利亚站在一起，感谢其救援人员的迅速反应。肇事者必须受到追究。”

作为北约军事联盟的成员国，保加利亚在黑海占据着战略要地，俄罗斯和乌克兰在那里拥有重要的港口。

此次事件发生之际，人们对涉及俄罗斯的混合攻击的担忧日益加剧。

上周，无人机在保加利亚黑海沿岸击中两艘船只，导致其中一艘沉没。沉船上的10名船员至今下落不明。