Bulgaria condemns Black Sea drone attacks as Russia's war in Ukraine spills over into Eastern Europe

Bulgaria condemns Black Sea drone attacks as Russia's war in Ukraine spills over into Eastern Europe

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Bulgaria has seen the second spate of drone attacks on merchant ships off its coast in the past week, according to DW News. Two ships were struck by drones off the coast of Bulgaria on Tuesday, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said, the second such incident in the Black Sea in the past week.

The attacks have been attributed to Russia, with Moscow suspected of targeting civilian cargo ships in the area. DW News reports that at least 45 merchant vessels have been struck by drones in the Black Sea in the past 12 months, as Russia's war has increasingly taken a toll on Eastern Europe.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has condemned the attacks, calling them 'another front of escalation of the Russian war in Ukraine'. She expressed support for Bulgaria and thanked its rescuers for their swift response.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev has requested official assistance from the EU and NATO to determine the exact source of the recent attacks. He has also summoned the Russian ambassador to discuss the escalation of violence in the Black Sea, which he described as 'unacceptable'.