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Freedom251 › Blog › Black Sea

Drones Strike Three Commercial Ships in Two Black Sea Incidents; EU Calls Attacks Unacceptable

By Freedom251 Team · · 3 min read

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Three commercial ships were reported struck in two separate Black Sea incidents on 5 and 6 October 2026, in the exclusive economic zones of Romania and Bulgaria. Two vessels sank and a third caught fire. The EU condemned attacks on civilian shipping, but the cited reports did not establish who was responsible.

What happened off Romania on 5 October?

The Turkish-owned cargo ship Royad Mammadov, sailing under the flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis, was struck after leaving the Ukrainian port of Ismail, according to Euronews. The vessel caught fire and sank in Romania’s exclusive economic zone, about nine nautical miles from the Pescăruș offshore platform.

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Euronews reported that Romanian authorities said two people died, 11 were rescued and one crew member remained missing when the report was published. Those figures describe the status at that time and may have changed.

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What happened off Bulgaria on 6 October?

The following day, sea and aerial drones struck two commercial vessels in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone, about 80 miles (128 kilometers) off the coast, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said, according to the Associated Press.

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  • Alfa Watan: The Togo-flagged vessel sustained critical structural damage and sank. AP reported no immediate information about its crew after the sinking.
  • Able: The Palau-flagged vessel caught fire. A Bulgarian ferry evacuated its 18 crew members; two sailors were reported severely injured and flown to a hospital in Varna.

Radev called the incident “an unacceptable attack in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone” and “a blatant violation of international law and maritime law,” AP reported.

How the two incidents differ

Date and location Vessel(s) Reported outcome Attribution status in cited reports
5 October, Romania’s exclusive economic zone Royad Mammadov, Saint Kitts and Nevis flag Struck, caught fire and sank; Euronews reported two deaths, 11 rescued and one missing at publication Romanian authorities had not named a suspect; Zelenskyy blamed Russia
6 October, Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone Alfa Watan, Togo flag; Able, Palau flag Alfa Watan sank; Able caught fire, with 18 crew evacuated and two severely injured Bulgarian authorities said the drone origin was under investigation; Zelenskyy blamed Russia

The locations were reported as exclusive economic zones, not territorial waters. The distinction matters: the incidents occurred in maritime zones under the coastal states’ rights and jurisdiction, but should not be described as attacks inside their territorial waters.

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What did the EU say?

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, “Attacks on civilian shipping are unacceptable,” and “We stand in full solidarity with our Member States on the Eastern flank,” according to Ars Technica. The same report said she cautioned that the circumstances were “still being established.” Her reported statement did not identify an attacker.

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Who was responsible?

Responsibility was unresolved in the cited coverage. Bulgarian authorities said the origin of the drones was under investigation. Romanian authorities had not named a suspect in the 5 October sinking, Euronews reported.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blamed Russia for both incidents. After the Bulgarian attack, he said Ukraine’s military was not operating near the location and described the incident as a combined Russian attack using maritime and aerial drones. He also called the civilian-vessel deaths “another part of Russia’s effort to make the western Black Sea completely unfit for navigation,” AP reported. These are Ukrainian allegations, not independently confirmed findings in the cited reporting. AP said there was no immediate Russian official response to the Bulgarian incident and that NATO referred inquiries to Bulgarian authorities.

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What the incidents mean for Black Sea shipping

The U.S. Maritime Administration’s 2026 advisory for U.S.-flagged commercial vessels says ships in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov have reportedly been struck by projectiles, drones and unmanned vehicles since February 2022, with incidents reported as recently as September 2026. It also warns of mines and the possibility of miscalculation, misidentification or accidental strikes when electronic-warfare interference affects guidance systems.

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The advisory recommends that operators assess risk, review security measures and current maritime warnings, and include protective measures in vessel security plans. It is guidance for commercial-vessel operators, not a general warning that every ship faces the same level of risk.

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EU policy work on eastern-flank security also predates these October attacks. A European Parliament resolution adopted in June 2026 called for stronger detection, jamming, interception and neutralisation capabilities and faster work on a Black Sea Maritime Security Hub. A joint European Commission and High Representative document describes pilot actions for maritime awareness and undersea sensing in the Black and Baltic Seas. These were policy efforts already underway, not measures shown to have been adopted in response to the October incidents.

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Black SeaBulgariaDronesEuropean UnionRomaniashipping

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