“Logic dictates who benefits”: Bulgaria appeals to NATO after drone attack

Drones attacked two merchant ships in the Black Sea near Bulgarian territorial waters.

This was announced by Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev.

According to him, at around 01:30 a.m. a distress signal was received from the Chelsea 3 vessel, which was 18 nautical miles east of the city of Byala.

The vessel, which was flying the Maltese flag, was registered in Odessa and owned by a Ukrainian, was hit on its deck and side by three drones.

There were 15 crew members on board – seven Ukrainians and eight Azerbaijani citizens . All were transported to the port of Varna, five of whom required medical attention.

Radev stressed that Bulgaria currently does not have clear and conclusive evidence that would allow it to attribute responsibility for the attack to one of the parties.

“We do not have clear and convincing evidence to place responsibility on either side. However, as I have already stated, logic suggests that the outcome is beneficial to the Russian Federation. Therefore, today I will summon the Russian ambassador for a meeting,” the Prime Minister said.

He also reported that Bulgaria’s permanent representatives to NATO and the EU have already been informed about the incident.

“Bulgaria continues to seek support for the investigation of the attacks to determine the country of origin of the drones. We are also asking for assistance to strengthen air and maritime surveillance and enhance our response capabilities,” Radev noted.

In addition, during an extraordinary meeting of the Security Council under the Council of Ministers, the Bulgarian side received information about another attacked vessel.

It was located 17 nautical miles east of Krapets . After the impact, the ship sank, one crew member was rescued.

Bulgarian authorities continue to investigate the origin of the drones and the circumstances of both attacks.

As a reminder, on October 6 , drones attacked two merchant ships off the coast of Bulgaria – one of them sank, the other caught fire after being hit.

Also on October 5, Russia used drones to attack a civilian ship in the Black Sea that was transporting corn. The captain was killed in the attack.

In addition, an abandoned cargo ship EMIL was previously discovered off the coast of Bulgaria , which lost the ability to maneuver after being hit by a drone near Odessa.

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