Russia Launches Combined Attack on Two Civilian Vessels in Bulgaria’s Exclusive Economic Zone

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that two civilian vessels in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea had been attacked by Russian naval and aerial drones.

The President of Ukraine stated this in his evening address.

According to Zelensky, the Ukrainian Defense Forces had not carried out any operations in that part of the Black Sea.

After clarifying the details with Bulgaria and following consultations between the Ukrainian and Bulgarian navies, Ukraine concluded that the incident was part of a combined Russian attack.

Zelensky also said the incident was part of Russia’s ongoing attempts to make the western Black Sea unsafe for civilian shipping. He instructed the Armed Forces, the Defense Ministry and intelligence agencies to strengthen cooperation with partners to protect maritime routes.

What is known about the attack

In the early hours of October 6, at around 3:00 a.m., two merchant vessels – the ALFA WATAN, sailing under the Togo flag, and the ABLE, sailing under the Palau flag – were attacked approximately 80 nautical miles east of the Bulgarian city of Byala. It was the first known attack on merchant vessels in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone.

The ALFA WATAN suffered critical damage and sank. A fire broke out aboard the ABLE following the strike, and all 18 crew members abandoned the vessel. The Bulgarian ferry DIOSCURIA evacuated them.

The ABLE crew later told the Bulgarian publication Maritime.bg that they received no warning before the strike. They said one of the drones attacked the vessel from below, suggesting a maritime drone was used.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev confirmed that the attack involved both a maritime and an aerial drone. At the same time, he stressed that the Bulgarian side has not yet been able to reliably determine where the drones were launched from.

According to Radev, one vessel was heading north and sank, while the other was sailing south carrying wheat. He described the incident as serious and said Bulgaria would continue investigating the circumstances of the attack.

The Bulgarian government confirmed that the rescue operation is underway in the country’s exclusive economic zone.

The incident occurred a day after Russian drones sank the bulk carrier Royad Mammadov, which had departed from the Ukrainian port of Izmail carrying grain to Italy.