"A Russian drone!" a Chelsea 3 sailor says as Sofia summons Moscow's envoy
Drone strikes hit two merchant ships off Bulgaria, sinking one and forcing the rescue of all 15 crew aboard the other. Sofia is seeking allied help as the search continues, but responsibility for the attacks has not been established.
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by Sami Haddad
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Eleven crew members are missing after a drone attack sank a merchant ship off Bulgaria, prompting its prime minister to summon Russia's ambassador and seek allied support.
Two commercial vessels were struck overnight on October 13, 2026. One sank about 17 nautical miles east of Krapets, on Bulgaria's Black Sea coast. The other, the Maltese-flagged Chelsea 3, was hit about 18 nautical miles east of Byala and stayed afloat.
Prime Minister Rumen Radev convened an emergency security meeting and summoned Russian Ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanova. He said Bulgaria had no conclusive evidence against either side, but that the outcome of the attacks benefited Russia. Bulgaria, a member of both NATO and the European Union, is asking its allies to help strengthen surveillance of its sea approaches and airspace.
All 15 people aboard the Chelsea 3 were rescued. Bulgarian reporting said its crew consisted of seven Ukrainians and eight Azerbaijanis. The rescue left the immediate search focused on the missing crew from the ship that went down.
A Chelsea 3 sailor interviewed by Bulgarian television said, "A drone hit us three times. A Russian drone!" His account concerns the ship that remained afloat, rather than the vessel that sank.
The attacks are still under investigation, and the accounts leave several basic facts unsettled. President Iliana Yotova identified the sunken vessel as the Guinea-Bissau-flagged HS Dignity, while another local account named it Azov Concord. Reports put the number rescued from it at one, at least four, or five.
Injury counts aboard the Chelsea 3 also differ, with Bulgarian reporting giving six and the BBC reporting five minor injuries. None of the accounts establishes who launched the drones.
