A Ukrainian-registered merchant ship has sunk following drone attacks on two vessels off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast on Tuesday. Prime Minister Rumen Radev indicated that Russia is suspected of being behind the attacks and has summoned the Russian ambassador for discussions.

Incident Overview

The first ship sank 17 nautical miles (31 km) east of Krapets, with one crew member rescued. The second vessel, also Ukrainian-owned, was struck by three drones 18 nautical miles from the town of Byala, where all 15 crew members were successfully rescued.

These drone attacks come just a week after two other commercial ships were targeted in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone. One of those ships, the Alfa Watan, sank, and all 10 crew members, including nine Syrians, are presumed dead.

Emergency Response

In response to the recent attacks, Radev convened an emergency meeting and stated:

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"Another attack on merchant ships in the immediate vicinity of Bulgarian territorial waters is absolutely unacceptable."

He also mentioned that he had summoned Russian envoy Eleonora Mitrofanova for a discussion. Although there is no conclusive evidence attributing blame to either side, Radev noted that the situation seems to benefit the Russian Federation.

NATO and EU Involvement

As a NATO member, Radev expressed his intention to speak with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte shortly. He had previously requested technical assistance from NATO and the EU to investigate the attacks that occurred on October 6, indicating uncertainty about whether Russia or Ukraine was responsible.