Ursula von der Leyen “firmly” condemns drone attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned on Tuesday the drone attacks on two commercial vessels in Bulgaria’s territorial waters in the Black Sea. She described the incidents as “a new front of escalation in Russia’s war in Ukraine” and warned that they endanger the lives of the crews and regional security.

The message was posted on the X platform, where von der Leyen declared that the European Union stands with Bulgaria and called for those responsible to be held accountable. She thanked the Bulgarian rescue teams for their swift intervention.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev announced that two more vessels had been hit near Bulgaria’s coast. He called the attacks unacceptable, said that he intended to summon Russia’s ambassador, Eleonora Mitrofanova, and informed NATO about the incidents.

The attacks come a week after two other commercial vessels were hit by drones in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone. One sank, and the ten crew members—nine Syrians and one Egyptian—are missing. The other vessel’s 18 sailors were rescued.

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