Drone Strikes Sink Turkish Cargo Ship Off Bulgaria, Leaving 10 Crew Missing

A Turkish-owned cargo ship sank in the Black Sea off Bulgaria on Tuesday after a suspected drone strike, leaving ten Egyptian and Syrian crew members missing, according to reports [257696]. Two other Turkish-owned vessels were also hit in European Union waters, though the attacks received little attention despite their serious implications [257696].

The sunken ship, the Togo-flagged Alfa Watan, went down off the Bulgarian coast [257696]. Romania and Bulgaria confirmed the attacks but called them only "drone strikes," and neither country said where the drones came from [255499]. The attacks mark a sharp spread of the war beyond Ukraine's borders and into EU territory [257696].

The European Union wants to expand trade through the Middle Corridor, a route that could bring major economic benefits to Bulgaria. But the drone attacks on commercial ships off the Bulgarian coast show the security dangers involved [257073].

Also on Tuesday, a cargo ship sank with its entire crew missing, and another ship was damaged in a drone attack about 70 nautical miles (129 kilometers) off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast. The Bulgarian government confirmed the attacks but did not say who launched the drones [256433].

On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky blamed Russia for a drone attack that killed two people on a grain cargo ship off Romania's coast [256433].

In a separate incident in the Black Sea, Russian rescue teams saved all 23 Indian crew members from an oil tanker that caught fire after a drone attack near the resort city of Sochi. The ship, named AFRAMAX RIO, flies the flag of Liberia. It was hit by sea drones, which Russian officials believe were probably Ukrainian. Ukraine has not commented on the attack [256433].

"Oil is burning in the Black Sea right now," the Russian Ministry of Transport said. "Firefighting can only begin once the flames weaken and rescue boats can safely approach. There are enough resources to handle the aftermath" [256433].

Before the rescue was confirmed, Russian authorities had only reported a fire on a tanker. They closed beaches in the Sirius federal area, near Sochi in the Krasnodar region. Residents were told to stay indoors and keep windows shut [256433].

Videos and photos shared on social media showed bright orange flames in the sea and a thick column of black smoke rising into the sky. Sochi is a popular tourist city on the Black Sea with nearly 500,000 residents [256433].

The AFRAMAX RIO was heading to India, according to the Mash news channel. It is not sanctioned by Western countries, but Ukraine has placed it on a blacklist as part of Russia's so-called "ghost fleet" — a group of ships that transport Russian oil while avoiding international restrictions [256433].

Russia and Ukraine have both attacked commercial shipping in the Black Sea since the war began. In recent days, the Russian military has increased attacks on Ukrainian ports, Black Sea coastlines, and Kyiv. Russia says these strikes are a response to recent threats by Zelensky against Russian oil refineries [256433].

Russia has increased missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure over the past month, targeting ports in particular. In response, Ukraine has expanded long-range strikes on Russian energy and logistics sites. The exchanges mark a sharp rise in fighting between the two sides [257746].

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused the United States of failing to help Ukraine after a Russian bomb attack killed at least 35 people in the east on Thursday. The strike pushed the two-day death toll from Russian attacks to more than 70 [258215].

The bomb hit the city of Kramatorsk and tore through two buses. Hours later, Zelensky criticized Washington for seeking economic ties with Russia while also trying to mediate the war, which has now lasted more than four years. City authorities also reported a new drone attack in the area [258215].

A United Nations-brokered deal that once allowed oil, grain, and fertilizer ships to pass safely through the Black Sea has shown no sign of returning [257696].