Several sailors missing after drone strike sinks merchant vessel near Bulgarian waters

Several sailors are missing following a drone attack on a vessel off the coast of Bulgaria, according to Bulgarian officials, prompting the country’s government to summon the Russian ambassador.

Overnight there were two attacks on merchant vessels in the Black Sea, Bulgarian officials said, with one Guinea-Bissau-flagged vessel the “HS Dignity” being sunk and leading to an urgent search and rescue operation. Another vessel called the “Chelsea 3,” which sails under the Maltese flag but is Ukrainian-owned, was struck by three drones, leading to the emergency rescue of all 15 crew members, officials said.

The country’s president and prime minister both strongly condemned the attacks in the vicinity of Bulgarian waters, which they indicated were likely connected to Russia.

“Bulgaria continues to seek support for an investigation into the attacks to determine the country of origin of the drones,” Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said in a social media post on Tuesday.

“We do not have clear and conclusive evidence to attribute responsibility to either side. However, as I have already stated, the logic suggests that the outcome benefits the Russian Federation,” Radev added. “I will therefore summon the Russian Ambassador for a meeting today.”

Radev added that he informed NATO allies and the European Union of the attacks, as Bulgaria seeks assistance to strengthen air and maritime surveillance and defense.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

据保加利亚官员称，一艘船只在保加利亚海岸附近遭到无人机袭击，导致数名水手失踪，这促使保加利亚政府召见了俄罗斯大使。

保加利亚官员称，黑海一夜之间发生两起商船遇袭事件，其中一艘悬挂几内亚比绍国旗的“HS Dignity”号货轮被击沉，引发紧急搜救行动。另一艘悬挂马耳他国旗、乌克兰船东所有的“Chelsea 3”号货轮遭到三架无人机袭击，船上15名船员全部获救。

该国总统和总理都强烈谴责了发生在保加利亚水域附近的袭击事件，并表示这些袭击很可能与俄罗斯有关。

保加利亚总理鲁门·拉德夫周二在社交媒体上发帖称：“保加利亚将继续寻求支持，对此次袭击事件展开调查，以确定无人机的来源国。”

“我们没有明确确凿的证据来判定任何一方的责任。但是，正如我之前所说，从逻辑上讲，这一结果对俄罗斯联邦有利，”拉德夫补充道。“因此，我今天将召见俄罗斯大使举行会晤。”

拉德夫补充说，他已将此次袭击事件告知北约盟国和欧盟，保加利亚正在寻求援助以加强空中和海上监视和防御。

这是一则正在更新的新闻。