Two cargo vessels were struck by drones in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea, between Cape St Atanas and the town of Byala today. One of the vessels sank immediately, and members of its crew remain missing. The Prime Minister of Bulgaria Rumen Radev blamed “the war” for the incident, but refused to name where the attacks came from.
The first vessel – ALFA WATAN, was operating under the flag of Togo. It sank immediately after the attack, and the crew are still missing.
The second vessel – ABLE, was operating under Palau flag and was transporting wheat. The attacked caused a fire on board. Two members of the crew were injured and taken for treatment to a hospital in Bulgaria. Overall, there were 11 Turkish and 7 Indian nationals on board ABLE. All crew have been evacuated to safety.
The ships were attacked by sea and air drones around 3 AM local time on 6th October 2026.
The Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said the following:
“An absolutely unacceptable attack within Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone. A flagrant violation of maritime law, international law and the principles governing maritime affairs in general. […] As I stated long ago, if this war is not brought to an end in time, it will continue to expand geographically and increase the risk of a global conflict. We can see that the war is intensifying. Every rule of international law is now being violated – even civilian vessels are being attacked!”
He did not say where the attacks came from. Radev mentioned however, that the second ship was transporting wheat to the south. Russia is known for targeting and striking civilian cargo and grain-transporting ships. Radev in his own right, became known for his pro-Kremlin rhetoric and foreign policy actions distancing Bulgaria from the support for Ukraine.
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9 October 2026
According to the military personnel who inspected the attacked vessel ABLE, no drone debris was found.
Senior Sergeant Katsarov, who took part in the search said: “Our task was to board the vessel and search for drone debris – to collect and photograph any fragments. We found none.”
Everything aboard the vessel was destroyed by fire. Its cargo was wheat.
Bulgarian Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said after the search:
“It is entirely possible that the drone was Ukrainian, just as it is entirely possible that it was Russian. Unfortunately, we were unable to find any debris that would allow us to identify it.”
According to PM Rumen Radev there is “no evidence” that can point to the aggressor in the attacks against the two cargo ships.
While many point the finger to Russia, Radev calls this a “hypothesis” and refuses to name the Kremlin as the attacker.
8 October 2026
17:30
Protesters gathered in front of the Russian Cultural Center in Sofia and set the Russian flag in fire. The protest was named “No to the Russian war”.
This happened after two cargo ships were hit the Bulgarian EEZ in the Black Sea. While many suspect Russia attacked the vessels, the government refuses to comment on the source of the attack, causing further division.
17:00
Contrary to what most of the political parties present at the Consultative Council stated, Bulgarian President Iliyana Yotova claimed that a wide agreement was chieved on the final statement produced by the Council, that contains proposals to the legislative and executive authorities in Bulgaria.
The representatives of DPS, We Continue the Change, Democratic Bulgaria and Revival said that they have not supported the statement, with some of them insisting on the source of the attacks to be named. This means that only Progressive Bulgaria and GERB have backed up the statement as they are the only two other political parties in the National Assembly of Bulgaria.
During a public event, Yotova said that: “We got divided only around one single point – how the war should end according to the two groups. I am in favour doing everything possible as soon as possible to create a Coalition for Peace – an European proposal, which Bulgaria to actively participate. So we can propose a text for peace in Ukraine, for ending the military actions, with the participation of all sides.“
This peculiar proposal for diplomacy with Russia came hours after the Russian army killed 33 civilians on a street in Krematorsk.
12:00
Bulgarian outlet SEGA published information that the crew on the sunk ship ALPHA WATAN was comprising 9 Syrian nationals and 1 Egyptian national. When the ship was hit around 3 AM local time of 6th October 2026, it reportedly sunk within 3 minutes with all crew being classed as lost at sea.
According to SEGA, the ship was transporting salt from Egypt to Kyliya – an Ukrainian port on the Danube river, where the ship was supposed to be loaded with wheat.
The search for survivors was discontinued by the Bulgarian authorities at 17:00 on 6th October 2026.
11:00
The former Bulgarian Prime Minister and leader of political party GERB Boyko Borisov disclosed information from classified intelligence reports presented for review during the Consultative Council for National Security.
According to him, the documents state that the vessels struck were“transporting people or troops”.
Borisov said that during the Council “Progressive Bulgaria […] and Ms Yotova were looking for the most […] timid wording possible” in order to avoid naming Russia as the country that attacked the vessels.
Borisov also insisted that he “could guarantee” that Putin would not attack Bulgaria for as long as the Balkan Stream pipeline remains operational.
10:00
The Foreign Minister of Bulgaria told journalists that “if we have clear evidence” that Russia was responsible for the strikes against the vessels in the Black Sea, she would summon the Russuan Ambassador in Sofia – Eleonora Mitrofanova.
This is in stark contrast to the reaction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in August when a decoy drone Maya allegedly entered the Bulgarian airspace and exploded. Decoy drones Maya are widely used by the Ukrainian Armed Forced. Back then Chamova summoned the Ukrainian Ambassador Olesia Ilashchuk immediately, while the investigation was still at its beggining.
Chamova did not specify what will constitute “clear evidence”, but pointed out that it is “very specific and hard to inspect a ship that is sinking”.
09:00
The Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) reported that Russia had announced it struck a vessel in the Black Sea. It remains unclear whether the vessel in question was the ROYAD MAMMADOV, ALPHA WATAN or ABLE.
According to BTA, Russia’s Ministry of Defence said on 7th October 2026, that its forces had struck a vessel sailing towards the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odesa with cargo intended for the Ukrainian military.
7 October 2026
19:00
The Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov spoke for NOVA TV. Stoyanov echoed Radev’s sentiment that Russia’s involvement in the incident is just a “hypothesis” and said that even though Bulgaria is receiving data from satellites, the drones “hardly could be seen from space” and therefore their trajectory can’t be established this way.
16:44
Prime Minister Rumen Radev spoke after the Consultative Council for National Security. He once more refused to name Russia as the source of the attack.
“Judging by the nature of the cargo and the vessels’ direction of travel, the outcome – logically speaking – is in favour of Russia. However, that does not mean we can claim that Russia carried out the strike without having evidence.”
When asked by journalists regarding the statement made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Radev opposed it by saying:
“My job is not to argue with Zelensky, but to establish the truth. […] There has been no communication with the Ukrainian side to determine what type of drone it was. Whatever Zelensky may have said is his responsibility.”
Radev also made a statement that further fueld the speculations that at least one of the hit ships – ALPHA WATAN, was transporting weapons: “We can only speculate about what was on board the vessel that caused it to sink so quickly.”
16:30
The Consultative Council for National Security produced a statement that was read aloud by President Yotova. The source of the attacks was still not named.
The statement was not accepted by all participants in the Council – 4 of the political parties refused to back it – namely Democratic Bulgaria, We Continue the Change, DPS (oligarch Delyan Peevski’s party) and Revival.
The full text of the statement:
“Russia’s war against Ukraine has led to a significant deterioration of the security environment in the Black Sea region. The Consultative Council on National Security discussed the current risks and threats to maritime security and the critical infrastructure of the Republic of Bulgaria in the context of the war in Ukraine and in light of the incidents that have occurred in the Black Sea over the past few days.
During the meeting, it was established that the military hostilities in the conflict between the Russian Federation and Ukraine have escalated, threatening maritime security and freedom of navigation in the Black Sea region. There is a growing trend of attacks using maritime and aerial drones against commercial vessels, resulting in damage to and the sinking of vessels, as well as loss of life. This has restricted freedom of navigation, caused a sharp decline in shipping traffic, increased insurance costs, generated economic losses and created a risk of environmental pollution.
It was agreed that the increasing use of more numerous, technologically advanced and longer-range unmanned systems has substantially increased the threats to the Republic of Bulgaria’s critical infrastructure – not only facilities situated near the Black Sea, but those across the entire country. In light of the incidents involving strategic sites belonging to Bulgaria’s defence industry, it was acknowledged that our country faces serious challenges in protecting its critical infrastructure.
It was noted that the current risks and threats to maritime security and critical infrastructure are a direct consequence of the inability to achieve a peaceful diplomatic settlement of the military conflict in Ukraine. During the meeting, agreement was reached to continue implementing the measures adopted by the Council of Ministers to counter the identified threats. The need to analyse possible amendments to the existing legal framework in support of these measures was also identified.
The members of the Consultative Council on National Security united around the following proposals to the executive and legislative authorities. I would like to add that these proposals were adopted by the three-quarters majority required by law, with representatives of three political groups voting against them.
The Consultative Council on National Security unequivocally condemns the strikes against commercial vessels in the Black Sea as a flagrant violation of international maritime law and calls for an immediate investigation to identify those responsible. Once the investigation has been completed, the executive authorities should inform the public of its findings.
The greatest guarantee of our security would be an immediate ceasefire and the use of every political and diplomatic channel to achieve peace. Bulgaria must participate actively in this process.
The implementation of the measures adopted by the executive authorities to counter the risks and threats must continue. Measures to strengthen maritime domain awareness should be enhanced through the use of unmanned aerial systems for reconnaissance and surveillance.
The modernisation of the Armed Forces should be accelerated with the aim of acquiring counter-drone systems capable of producing kinetic effects, in close cooperation with NATO and the European Union. The executive authorities should analyse and submit to the National Assembly proposed amendments to the existing legal framework to support measures for the physical protection of strategic sites and to safeguard the country’s maritime security. The national maritime search-and-rescue system should be maintained at a high level of readiness.
Regarding NATO, Bulgaria should make full use of its capacity as a fully fledged member of the European Union and NATO to express a firm position and protect its security, economic and environmental interests, as well as regional stability.
Through NATO’s enhanced-vigilance activity, Eastern Sentry, Bulgaria has the option of requesting a greater Allied contribution to security in the Black Sea region, including the deployment of additional aerial and maritime surveillance assets, the strengthening of coastal and defensive systems, and additional counter-drone systems within the framework of NATO’s enhanced forward presence.
These proposals do not contravene the Montreux Convention. Convening consultations under Article 4 would be unproductive at this stage, because discussing incidents of this kind would result only in deliberations within the North Atlantic Council and would not lead to the adoption of new measures.
Regarding the European Union, Bulgaria should propose the development of a framework mechanism for free and safe navigation in the Black Sea as part of the EU’s strategic approach to the region. I would like to add that the European Union identifies maritime security as one of the principal pillars of its Black Sea strategy and envisages establishing a Black Sea Security Hub. In this case, however, greater specificity is required, which Bulgaria could provide.
If necessary, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism should be activated in response to environmental risks, along with the monitoring instruments of the European Union Satellite Centre to identify threats and mechanisms for providing financial compensation for any losses incurred.
Bulgaria should urgently enter into consultations with Romania and Türkiye on joint action to stop attacks against commercial vessels in the Black Sea and guarantee the safety of navigation.
Bulgaria should assume an active role in negotiations and in building consensus among the six countries bordering the Black Sea: Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, Georgia and Türkiye. The objective should be a moratorium on military operations in the Black Sea and its transformation into a zone of shared security.
The issue of the Black Sea – including the risks, threats and proposed security solutions – should be raised in every European forum in which Bulgaria participates, particularly at the forthcoming European Union summit on 15 and 16 October this year.
Finally, regarding the United Nations, a request should be submitted for assistance through the mechanisms of the UN International Maritime Organization to conduct a technical and legal analysis of the incidents in the Black Sea. A resolution guaranteeing freedom and safety of navigation in the Black Sea should also be pursued.”
15:24
Abandoned suitcase caused the area around the Presidency to be cordoned off during the Consultative Council for National Security.
The suitcase was opened by Bulgarian Special Forces – it contained clothes. No explosive devices were found.
However, on a footage published by BGNES it’s seen that police officers were standing close to the suitcase, traffic was not diverted and cars are allowed to drive by, journalists were allowed to film from up close, pedestrians were allowed to walk by as normal and military personnel was not fully covered when initially inspecting the suitcase. At the end a member of the special forces opened the suitcase, threw around the clothes he found inside and then left the suitcase on the ground.
The Consultative Council for National Security was called in by the President Iliyana Yotova. The Council comprises the President, the Prime Minister, ministers of key Ministries, the chief of Defence, one representative of each political party in Parliament and the chiefs of the Security Services.
13:30
Boulevard Bulgaria announced that the Russian Embassy in Sofia issued a statement claiming that “according to information published by the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation, the vessels ALFA WATAN and ABLE were not listed among the targets struck by the Russian Armed Forces on the night of 6 October.”
11:00
The Consultative Council of National Security of Bulgaria gathered at 1 PM local time after 2 ships were hit in the Bulgarian exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea around 3 AM on 6th October.
PM Rumen Radev and his government still refuse to name Russia as the source of the attacks.
10:30
Chair of the Parliamentary Defence Committee Ivan Lalov gave an interview on the Bulgarian National TV Channel. He said that there is “no reason” to trigger Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which requires NATO member states to consult together whenever any member feels their territorial integrity, political independence, or security is threatened.
Lalov argued that Zelensky’s words might be wrong and made the following statements:
“We will identify the source of the attack once it has been established. What I can say categorically at this stage is that these drones were either Russian or Ukrainian.”
“Even if they are found… Look, there is some speculation surrounding this issue. Even if fragments of the drones are recovered, various hypotheses could still emerge. For example, the drone could be Ukrainian but launched by Russia as a deception – or vice versa. Therefore, it is very difficult to reach a definitive conclusion.
Most likely, if what Mr Zelensky has stated is discussed with our security services and subsequently issued as an official statement by our government, I will then be able to say with certainty – categorically – whether it is true or not.”
According to Lalov (MP for Radev’s Progressive Bulgaria), it’s possible that Russia hit the ship that was travelling north, while Ukraine hit the ship travelling south.
10:00
Kiril Valchev, Iliana Yotova’s vice-presidential candidate, spoke to Nova News TV. To avoid naming Russia as the aggressor following the incidents in the Black Sea, he referred to the nuclear weapons threat:
“Europe has proposed nothing, so there is nothing to discuss. The only thing being said is: ‘We want the war to end!’ But wars end in one of two ways – either through negotiations and the signing of agreements, or through the capitulation of one side. The complication here is that one of the parties possesses nuclear weapons. If it were to capitulate, there would be a genuine danger that it might decide to use those weapons – because why would that country need a world in which it no longer exists?”
Valchev said that “regardless of where the attacks came from […] it must be clear that this is absolutely unacceptable. Still, he refused to call Putin “the aggressor” in the war in Ukraine, because according to the vice-presidential hopeful “this is not how we are going to get to a peaceful solution”.
09:30
Bulgarian PM Rumen Radev spoke about the incident briefly before the start of the Ministerial Council meeting. He did not mention Russia or the statement made by President Zelensky.
Instead Radev once more called for peace: “I am convinced that pouring money into this war and the endless rearmament […] is far more costly than investing effort in diplomacy and finding a lasting path to peace. And our government will continue working towards that goal!”
07:30
PM Radev’s political party Progressive Bulgaria used their parliamentary majority to prevent a formal hearing of the heads of Intelligence and Defence Services and the Minister of Defence in the National Assembly.
6 October 2026
20:00
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky came up with a public statement saying the following:
“We verified all the details with the Bulgarian side. Our Navy contacted its counterparts in Bulgaria, and it has been established that this was a combined Russian attack using maritime and aerial drones.”
There is no comment Bulgarian PM Rumen Radev or his government.
The Bulgarian President Iliyana Yotova published a statement regarding the war in Ukraine. Yotova is known for citing Kremlin talking points during public events and for opposing help for Ukraine as she claims this prolongs the war. In her view, diplomacy with Russia is the road to a peaceful resolution of the conflict.
In her statemen, Yotova wrote:
“There are many warmongers in our country. I am not one of them, which is why my address to the UN General Assembly focused on peace. We do not need a Coalition of the Willing for Ukraine; we need a Coalition for Peace in Ukraine. I will work towards this, and I will work to ensure that Bulgaria has a strong voice in favour of peace negotiations.
For as long as I am president – and if you place your trust in me – not a single Bulgarian soldier will be sent to Ukraine.”
It is important note that it has never been discussed for Bulgarian soldiers to be sent to Ukraine.
18:00
The most seriously injured member of the ABLE crew is an Indian national who suffered burns to 45% of his body.
16:00
Bulgarian Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov gave an interview to bTV in which he said: “At present, there is no information about whose drones they were.” He explained that, unless debris from the drones is examined, it cannot be established who launched them, particularly because no state has claimed responsibility.
Stoyanov accused opposition leaders who blame Russia of speculating on matters of national security, “which borders on stupidity”.
The Minister described the incident as “an outright attack that is completely unacceptable”. He quoted Rumen Radev from his time as president of Bulgaria, when he warned that “Bulgaria’s provision of weapons to Ukraine would dragged us into the war”, and added: “Well, we are now part of the hybrid war – whether on one side or the other!”
Stoyanov also stated that Bulgaria had participated in NATO’s “Drone Age” initiative – most likely intending to refer to “Drone Edge”.
15:55
Representatives of the GERB political party said that one of the vessels struck had been travelling from Egypt to a Romanian port, while the other had been sailing from Romania to Turkey.
15:37
The Bulgarian pro-Kremlin political party Revival called for an end to arms supply to Ukraine. They made a statement claiming that “at least one of the ships” that was hit was “most probably” transporting weapons to either Romania or Ukraine.
Revival’s representative Tzoncho Ganev referred to an incident from August 2026 when a decoy Maya drone entered Bulgaria’s airspace. Maya drones are widely used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Ganev framed this as: “Ukraine, with an Ukrainian drone, attacked Bulgarian territory”. He said that based on this incident, it can now be suspected that Ukraine could be behind the drone attacks against the two ships.
Ganev called for Rumen Radev to stop all sorts of arms supply from Bulgaria to Ukraine, including through third countries. According to Revival’s position helping Ukraine financially and participating in international pacts that back Ukraine makes Bulgaria “vulnerable” and “part of the military conflict”.
14:44
The Bulgarian outlet Darik published a quote from one of the sailors on ABLE: “I’m from Turkey. I think the Russians dropped an underwater bomb on us, and a fire broke out. It wasn’t a drone – it came from beneath the water. I think it was Russian because we were carrying Ukrainian cargo.”
13:22
Speaking in front of journalists, Rumen Radev said that he took a part of an online meeting with the members of the EU Council earlier today – however, the meeting was regarding topics unrelated to the incident with the two ships.
Radev said: “I still can’t tell you what the drones are, what side they came from. […] We are just starting to try to establish where the drones came from – but it is clear – they are either Russian or Ukraininan.”
He refused to comment what would mean if Russia was to blame, but said that NATO mechanisms can’t be triggered because “we have seen worse attacks”. He added that EEZ waters are not territorial waters, therefore they are “neutral waters”.
Rumen Radev blamed all those who to call for President Iliyana Yotova to convene the Consultative Council on National Security for using the incident for political speculations. He addressed them saying: “When incompetent people exploit an incident like this, we hear all kinds of idiotic theories!”
13:06
It is important to note that Bulgaria refused to participate in the anti-drone initiative of NATO Coalition “Drone Edge”. Last month, the Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said that Bulgaria’s participation in the initiative is not necessary as the country is already taking part in a similar EU project.
12:22
According to information from EuroMaidan, on 5th October another ship was hit in Romania’s EEZ – “Royad Mammadov, a cargo ship carrying Ukrainian grain”.
EuroMaidan/Digi24: “The Romanian Naval Authority described the incident as a fire on board. Romania’s Interior Ministry said 11 crew members were rescued and two people died.”
According to Politico, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky blames Russia for the attack against Royad Mammadov.
12:00
One of the leaders of the opposition in the Bulgarian National Assembly – Ivaylo Mirchev posted online challenging the lack of clarity around the source of the attack against the two ships in the Black Sea.
He quoted an incident earlier this year when a drone Maya (type widely used by the armed forces of Ukraine) entered the Bulgarian airspace – back then the authorities called an urgent press conference and the potential origin of the drone was immediately named.
11:50
According to the Bulgarian Defence Minister, the authorities are looking for survivors in the area of the incident.
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