Black Sea drone attack that sunk ship off Bulgaria condemned as crew still missing

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated on Tuesday that attacks on civilian shipping are unacceptable, after vessels were targeted in Bulgaria’s economic zone in the Black Sea.The crew of a merchant ship was reported missing after their vessel sank near Nato member Bulgaria following a drone strike.It remains unclear who launched the air and sea drones 70 miles off Byala, though concerns are growing over Russian hybrid attacks as it wages war in Ukraine."Commercial ships – and innocent ⁠crews – are being targeted, with ​lives ⁠already lost at ‌sea," Ms von der Leyen said.While the circumstances of the incidents are being investigated, the situation in the Black Sea is increasingly concerning, she added. According to shipping sources, it appeared to be the first such attack in Bulgarian waters.Prime Minister Rumen Radev said in a televised statement that two ships were struck in the attack. The crew of one, which was carrying grain, was rescued, with two injured. Bulgarian authorities take an injured crew member to a hospital after two commercial vessels were attacked (Bulgarian News Agency)The other, which sank, was a Togo-flagged ship whose cargo was not disclosed.A search has been launched for the missing crew and for any signs of an environmental threat.A maritime security source said initial assessments of the strike suggested it had probably been a Russian attack.Meanwhile, Mr Radev did not say who was behind the attack but made a reference to Russia's war in Ukraine."If this war is not brought to an end in time, it will continue to expand its geographical scope and increase the risk of even a global conflict," he said."We are seeing the war intensify, with all the rules of international law now being violated, and civilian vessels being attacked at sea. This is absolutely unacceptable."Russia did not immediately comment on the incident.Distress signals reported British maritime risk management group Vanguard said the attacks on Tuesday were on the Togo-flagged general cargo vessel ALFA WATAN and the Palau-flagged general cargo vessel ABLE, within Bulgaria’s economic zone.Bulgaria's Prime Minister Rumen Radev (AFP/Getty)Both vessels issued distress signals, with Bulgarian sources saying that they had been struck by drones, Vanguard wrote in a report.The drone attack follows an incident in which Romanian authorities said on Monday two people had died in a fire on a ship in the Black Sea outside Romania's territorial waters.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky blamed Russian drones for the incident. Russian authorities issued no immediate comment on it.Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, European countries have reported Russian drones breaching ⁠their ​airspace multiple times and mines floating in the ​Black Sea across trade and energy routes.