Bulgaria requests NATO aircraft and anti-drone systems after shipping attacks

Bulgaria has formally asked NATO to deploy combat aircraft and anti-drone systems following a series of attacks on commercial shipping in the Black Sea, Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said Friday. The request seeks to strengthen the country's defences.

Drones struck two ships that caught fire off Romania's Black Sea coast this week. A commercial vessel also sank off Bulgaria's coast after a drone attack on Tuesday, prompting Sofia to summon Russia's ambassador.

Stoyanov said requests had been sent to the NATO Secretary General and the Supreme Allied Commander to strengthen capabilities, including by deploying additional forces on Bulgarian territory. He said a decision was still awaited.

A NATO official said Friday that ambassadors from the alliance's 32 member states would discuss Bulgaria's request further the following week.

Stoyanov also said he planned to meet his Romanian and Turkish counterparts soon to discuss coordinating action and developing a common approach to the situation in the Black Sea.

Prime Minister Rumen Radev said two ships were struck off the Bulgarian coast on Tuesday, October 13. He said he would summon the Russian ambassador over the latest such incident in the Black Sea.

Radev said on social media that a Ukrainian-owned cargo ship had been hit by three aerial drones and another ship was hit and sank shortly afterward. He said Bulgaria lacked clear evidence to accuse a specific party, while suggesting the outcome benefited Russia.

He identified the first vessel as the Malta-flagged Chelsea 3 and said all 15 crew members, seven Ukrainians and eight Azerbaijanis, had been rescued. Radev said one crew member from the second vessel had been rescued, but supplied no further details. He condemned the attacks near Bulgarian territorial waters as unacceptable.

Bulgaria said Monday that it had requested technical assistance to determine the origin of the series of attacks. In letters to EU and NATO leaders, Radev asked for the issue to receive priority attention and said Bulgaria had also sought help from the European Maritime Safety Agency.

Bulgaria to summon Russian ambassador after ships struck off its coast

Community discussion