Sofia appeals to Brussels and the North Atlantic Alliance to investigate ship attacks

Sofia appeals to Brussels and the North Atlantic Alliance to investigate ship attacks
Sofia appeals to Brussels and the North Atlantic Alliance to investigate ship attacks

Appeal to international partners

The Bulgarian government has officially requested technical assistance from the European Union and NATO to investigate incidents resulting from drone attacks on two cargo ships in the Black Sea. This decision was made a week after the events, during which one ship sank and the other sustained damage.

Uncertainty regarding the source of the threat

The country's Prime Minister, Rumen Radev, stated on Monday that it remains unclear from which side the unmanned aerial vehicles were launched — from Russian or Ukrainian territory.

Details of the incident involving the Alfa Watan

The cargo liner Alfa Watan, sailing under the flag of Togo, sank almost instantly after being hit — the process took approximately three minutes. According to Dimitar Nedialkov, a professor at the Military Academy in Sofia, who expressed his opinion on Bulgarian TV channel Nova, a drone capable of causing such extensive destruction must have carried a warhead weighing over 300 kilograms. Twelve crew members were on board the ship and are still considered missing.

Ship Able: fire and rescued crew

The second attacked vessel, the Able, which was sailing under the flag of Palau with a cargo of grain destined for Istanbul, caught fire after the strike. All 18 crew members were successfully rescued. A preliminary investigation found no drone debris on board the ship. According to media reports, the Able has already left Bulgarian waters.

Kyiv's position

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky commented on these events, calling them "another attempt by Russia to make the western part of the Black Sea completely unsuitable for navigation" (черговою спробою Росії зробити західну частину Чорного моря повністю непридатною для судноплавства). According to him, following contacts with the Bulgarian side, it was established that "this was a combined Russian attack using maritime and aerial drones" (що це була комбінована російська атака з використанням морських і повітряних дронів).

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