Ukraine says Russia attacked 2 merchant ships off Bulgaria, killing 2
Ukraine says Russia carried out a combined naval and aerial drone attack on two merchant ships off Bulgaria, sinking one and killing two crew members. Kyiv says its forces conducted no operations in the area.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces had conducted no operations in the part of the Black Sea where two merchant vessels were attacked on Oct. 6.
According to Zelenskyy, Ukrainian intelligence and security services have been gathering information about the incident, while the Ukrainian Navy contacted its Bulgarian counterparts.
“The Ukrainian Defense Forces did not conduct any operations in this area of the sea. This latest tragedy involving civilian vessels continues Russia’s attempt to make the western part of the Black Sea completely unsuitable for navigation,” Zelenskyy said.
He said the Navy had established that the vessels were hit in a combined Russian attack involving both naval and aerial drones.
Bulgarian and Romanian authorities earlier reported that drones struck two merchant ships in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea: the Togo-flagged general cargo vessel ALFA WATAN and the Palau-flagged ABLE.
ALFA WATAN sank following the attack. Romania’s Interior Ministry said two crew members were killed and 11 others rescued.
All 18 crew members aboard ABLE were rescued and picked up by a passenger ferry.
Zelenskyy said he had instructed Ukraine’s military, Defense Ministry, intelligence agencies and other services to cooperate fully with partner countries to strengthen their ability to protect the region.