Drones hit Black Sea ships One sinks; crew missing

Oct 5–6

Schröder reports two merchant vessels hit by drones around 100 kilometers off Bulgaria's coast. One freighter sank and its crew is missing; the other crew was rescued. Bulgaria did not directly identify the attacker but pointed to Russia's war against Ukraine. The brief adds that a Turkish freighter was hit off Romania the previous day, killing two sailors; this is earlier-episode context.

Two civilian merchant vessels are attacked overnight October 5–6 in Bulgaria's Black Sea waters, with one sunk and the other damaged. Tagesthemen and Tagesschau report the sunk vessel's crew missing and the other crew rescued, and say Bulgaria did not directly identify the attacker. CCTV's October 7 follow-up cites Radev's October 6 account of two foreign-flagged ships attacked in the exclusive economic zone, one sinking with occupants missing, and says drone origins remain unconfirmed. Zelenskyy's October 6 address denies Ukrainian operations there and claims Ukrainian–Bulgarian naval contacts established a combined Russian sea- and air-drone attack. He orders partner cooperation and urges a response. The differing responsibility and verification claims remain attributed; the sources do not independently settle responsibility or supply a reconciled casualty count.