The Black Sea has once again become an arena of dangerous attacks on civilian shipping. On Tuesday, October 6, 2026, a merchant vessel sank off the coast of Bulgaria after a drone strike, and another cargo ship caught fire. This is reported by tagesschau, citing Bulgarian rescue services.
What happened off the coast of Bulgaria
The sunken vessel turned out to be the bulk carrier "Alfa Watan," sailing under the flag of Togo. The rescue operation unfolded approximately 150 kilometers east of the coastal city of Byala. According to the Bulgarian Maritime Rescue Center, the ship's crew is considered missing.
The second vessel — the "Able" under the flag of Palau — was carrying wheat. After a drone hit, a fire broke out on board, but all 18 crew members were rescued by a ferry. Several injured were taken to a hospital in Varna.
Both incidents occurred early in the morning in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone. The country's government convened an emergency meeting, and Prime Minister Rumen Radev called the attack "absolutely unacceptable," though he did not specify who was behind it. Where the drones came from has not yet been officially established.
A day earlier — a strike near Romania
The Bulgarian incident occurred just a day after an attack on a Turkish cargo ship in Romania's economic zone — approximately 56 kilometers south of the village of Sfântu Gheorghe. According to the Romanian Interior Ministry, two sailors were killed and 11 more were rescued. As media reported, the ship was carrying grain to Italy.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called it a "horrific attack" by two Russian drones. According to him, Ukraine has repeatedly proposed steps toward de-escalation in the Black Sea, but Russia "consistently chooses terror and the sinking of civilian vessels instead of normal shipping."
Hundreds of attacked vessels
According to the Turkish Chamber of Shipping, since the start of the full-scale war, 226 civilian and commercial vessels have been attacked in the Black Sea — and most of these cases fall within the current year. Both recent incidents occurred in the waters of NATO and EU member states, which makes the situation particularly sensitive for the entire Alliance.
In parallel — a massive drone attack on Moscow
On the same day, October 6, according to tagesschau, Ukraine launched a massive drone strike on the Moscow region. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin claimed around 650 drones, of which 105 were allegedly shot down on approach to the capital; the regional governor reported two dead and nine injured. These figures could not be independently verified. According to The Kyiv Independent, the target was an oil facility approximately 40 km from Moscow — Ukraine is systematically striking Russia's oil industry, which fills the Kremlin's war budget.
Why this matters for Ukrainians in Germany
The Black Sea corridor is the main export route for Ukrainian grain, on which both Ukraine's economy and Europe's food markets depend. Attacks on vessels near Bulgaria and Romania show that the war is increasingly affecting EU and NATO territory. That is precisely why Germany is increasingly discussing the protection of maritime routes and the strengthening of air defense — both for Ukraine and for the Alliance's eastern flank.
This material was prepared based on tagesschau reports from October 5 and 6, 2026 (with information from ARD correspondent in Vienna, Oliver Soos). The text is an independent Ukrainian retelling, not a verbatim translation.