Bulgaria seeks assistance to inspect sunken ship with underwater drone

Bulgarian security services are investigating two possibilities – whether the drones that struck two foreign-flagged merchant ships in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea were Russian or Ukrainian. "There is no evidence at this stage," Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov told Nova TV.

The minister also said Bulgaria had requested assistance from international organisations to inspect the sunken vessel using an underwater drone. According to Stoyanov, the ship was travelling from Egypt via Turkey to Romania, had a Syrian crew and was carrying wheat.

The vessel sank in about three minutes, suggesting either that it sustained extensive damage in the strike or that it was carrying explosive cargo, the minister explained. He expressed hope that the other ship, which was also hit but remains afloat, could be inspected as soon as possible.

"We have asked partner countries to provide us with information and satellite images of the area where the incident occurred," Stoyanov said.

He also warned that the intensity of the conflict in the Black Sea, where merchant ships are now being targeted, would make shipping extremely difficult.

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"At the Consultative Council on National Security, we called on both parties involved in the war to refrain from attacking merchant ships," the minister added.

Editor: Diana Tsankova