Conflict · Black Sea coast, Bulgaria · October 13, 2026

Drones hit two ships off Bulgaria, sinking one; Sofia blames Russia

Reported by 1 outlet · under-reported · first reported Oct 12, 8:00 PM ET

Unidentified drones struck two merchant ships off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast, and one sank. Eleven crew members are missing and 20 have been rescued. Prime Minister Rumen Radev blamed Russia and summoned its ambassador, after a similar attack six days earlier.

Why it matters

Attacks on shipping in the waters of an EU and NATO member raise the risk for Black Sea trade and for European security.

Background

The Black Sea has been an active war zone since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and commercial shipping there has repeatedly been hit. Bulgaria is a member of both NATO and the EU.

The story so far

1. Oct 6Drones strike two merchant ships off Bulgaria, one sinks
2. Oct 7Drone strikes hit two cargo ships off Bulgaria; search for crew ends
3. Oct 8Bulgaria ends search for 12 Syrian sailors after drone sinks ship
4. Oct 13Drones hit two ships off Bulgaria, sinking one; Sofia blames Russia
5. Oct 14Drones sink ship off Bulgaria; prime minister blames Russia
6. Oct 20NATO boosts Black Sea presence as Russia strikes more cargo ships
7. Oct 23Drone sinks cargo ship near Romanian waters; Romania blames Russia
8. Oct 31Zelensky meets Erdogan, blames Russia for Black Sea situation

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Sources

• Reuters ↗October 13, 2026

This summary was written automatically from the reporting linked above; follow the sources for the full story. How One Turn works.

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