The Black Sea is becoming an escalation zone: Russian attacks are approaching the EU borders

Bloomberg writes about this.

Attacks on ships and deaths of sailors

Due to the dangers of the Black Sea, Bulgarian shipbroker Yordan Petrov has decided not to send his ships there anymore. He calls sailors who agree to work in such conditions “kamikazes.”

On October 13, 11 sailors went missing after the HS Dignity was hit five nautical miles off Bulgarian territorial waters. Five crew members survived.

On October 15, another ship caught fire in Romanian territorial waters. Another attack occurred near Romanian waters: seven of the 12 sailors were reportedly killed.

Moscow denies involvement in the strikes, but the Kremlin has previously warned that ships entering or leaving Ukrainian ports could be targeted in response to Ukrainian attacks on Russia’s “shadow fleet.”

The Black Sea is becoming a new zone of escalation

As Bloomberg notes, Russian drone incursions into European airspace have not previously resulted in such casualties. Now, attention is shifting from the Baltic to the Black Sea, where attacks threaten not only Ukraine but also the shipping of neighboring NATO states.

“If until recently the focus was on the Baltics, now the spotlight is on the Black Sea,” said Bulgarian Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov.

Julia Joya, director of the Black Sea program at the Middle East Institute, believes that Black Sea security has long remained an insufficient priority for NATO.

“Until this changes, Russia will continue to test the borders,” she stressed.

Meanwhile, Russian and Ukrainian drones are increasingly violating the airspace of the Baltic states and Poland, causing airstrikes and damaging civilian infrastructure.

NATO’s reaction and Bulgaria’s position

Bulgaria has asked NATO for a wide range of air defense assets, including patrol aircraft, air defense systems, and anti-drone systems. Romania, for its part, is accelerating the creation of a joint Black Sea security hub with Bulgaria.

At the same time, the reaction of European allies remains cautious. Countries in the region fear a direct confrontation with Russia, especially against the backdrop of uncertainty about continued US support. However, the lack of decisive action may be perceived by Moscow as weakness.

Romanian President Nicos Dan and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the attacks Russia’s attempts to weaken Western support for Ukraine.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev, who has previously criticized EU military aid to Kiev, took a week to publicly acknowledge Russia’s alleged involvement. After the attack on the Ukrainian ship Chelsea 3, he summoned the Russian ambassador. Opposition lawmaker Radoslav Rybarski called Bulgaria a “weak link” on NATO’s eastern flank.

Shipping is under threat

The attacks are already affecting port operations and maritime transport in the region. Ship insurance is becoming more expensive and shipowners are finding it increasingly difficult to find crews willing to work in dangerous conditions.

According to ship broker Todor Georgiev, the combined traffic of the ports of Varna and Burgas is often lower than that of the port of Mogadishu in Somalia, where an armed conflict is ongoing.

Yordan Petrov emphasized that Russia considers countries that help Ukraine as its adversaries.

“In the eyes of the Russians, those who finance and support the Ukrainian defense industry are NATO. That is, us,” he said.

The deaths of the sailors increase pressure on the Alliance to strengthen shipping protection and security in the Black Sea region. At the same time, allies are forced to seek a response that will deter further Russian attacks but not lead to a direct military confrontation with Moscow.

NATO ambassadors in Brussels will discuss the increasing number of attacks on ships near Romania and Bulgaria next week, it was reported. The meeting was prompted by recent drone incidents that left two ships on fire and seven sailors missing.