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Drone attack sinks ship off Bulgaria, 11 missing
One cargo ship sank and another was damaged after drone strikes near Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast.
What happened
Two commercial ships were struck by drones in the Black Sea near Bulgaria. HS Dignity sank off Krapets, with five crew members rescued and eleven missing. Chelsea 3 was damaged, but its crew was evacuated. Bulgaria summoned Russia’s ambassador and contacted NATO and the European Union.
Numbers
- 11 missingCrew missing from HS Dignity — Search operation continues
- 5 rescuedSurvivors from the sunken ship — Rescued at sea
- 15 evacuatedChelsea 3 crew brought ashore — No serious injuries reported
Questions
- Who were the missing crew members?
- They were aboard HS Dignity, whose crew included Syrians and Egyptians; rescued sailors included four Syrians and one Egyptian.
- Why did Bulgaria confront Russia?
- Radev stated that Bulgaria lacked solid, clear proof but that the available logic pointed to Russia, prompting the diplomatic summons.
- What is at stake for Bulgaria?
- The strikes occurred near Bulgarian territorial waters, bringing commercial shipping security closer to NATO and European Union member territory.
- Has there been a recent precedent?
- A vessel sank off Bulgaria after another drone attack the previous week, when rescuers saved the crew of a separate vessel.
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The catch
The reporting does not identify the attackers with evidence sufficient to assign responsibility.
Russia gave no response in coverage.