Roman Radev, the Prime Minister of Bulgaria, summoned the Russian ambassador, Eleonora Mitrofanova, after the attack on two commercial ships off the Black Sea coast. One of these ships, HS Dignity, flagged from Guinea-Bissau, sank 17 nautical miles (31 kilometers) east of the village of Krapets, and 10 of its crew members are missing.
Details of the attack on the ships
The Bulgarian Minister of Defense, Dimitar Stoyanov, announced that six crew members of the HS Dignity have been rescued. The other ship, Chelsea-3, which belongs to Ukraine, was also attacked 18 nautical miles from the city of Byala, but all 15 crew members were rescued.
This attack occurred a week after similar attacks on two other ships in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone. One of the ships, Alfa Watan, sank, and all 10 of its crew members, including 9 Syrians, are missing and presumed dead.
Political and military implications
Radev stated in an emergency meeting held on Tuesday that these attacks could benefit the Russian Federation. He also discussed these attacks with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Stoltenberg announced that NATO will continue to work closely with its allies in the Black Sea and will monitor the security situation.
If these attacks had occurred a few nautical miles further west, Article 5 of the NATO treaty could have been activated, which considers an armed attack against one member country as an attack against all countries.
The Bulgarian Minister of Defense also stated that it is currently expected that these attacks are linked to Russia and that it is "illogical" for Ukraine to attack its own ships. Radev has also requested technical assistance from NATO and the European Union to investigate previous attacks.
The Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Andriy Sybiha, also described these attacks as a sign of Moscow's deliberate disregard for civilian life and maritime security in the Black Sea. He emphasized that the Black Sea is crucial for global food security, and Russia's attacks in this area mean holding the world hostage through hunger.
