The latest attack on a commercial vessel in the immediate vicinity of Bulgaria’s territorial waters is absolutely unacce | Hanami
The latest attack on a commercial vessel in the immediate vicinity of Bulgaria’s territorial waters is absolutely unacceptable.
At 01:30, a distress call was received from a vessel 18 nautical miles east of Byala. According to the crew, the Chelsea 3—sailing under the Maltese flag, registered in Odesa and Ukrainian-owned—was struck on its deck and side by three aerial drones. All 15 crew members—seven Ukrainian and eight Azerbaijani nationals—were safely transported to the port of Varna. Five are receiving medical assistance.
Our Permanent Representatives to NATO and the EU have been informed. Bulgaria continues to seek support for an investigation into the attacks to determine the country of origin of the drones. We are also seeking assistance to strengthen surveillance of the air and maritime domains and enhance our response capabilities.
We do not have clear and conclusive evidence to attribute responsibility to either side. However, as I have already stated, the logic suggests that the outcome benefits the Russian Federation. I will therefore summon the Russian Ambassador for a meeting today.
At an extraordinary meeting of the Security Council under the Council of Ministers, we also received information about another vessel, struck 17 nautical miles east of Krapets. It sank, and one crew member was rescued.