Suspected Russian drone attacks have sunk a cargo ship and forced the evacuation of another vessel within 24 miles of the Bulgarian coast, the latest in a series of unprecedented attacks on ships in NATO waters. The attacks have prompted NATO to consider redeploying counter-drone systems to bolster protection. While no hard proof exists that Russia is behind the attacks, the Ukrainian-operated coastal freighter Chelsea 3, registered under the flag of Malta, was one of the ships targeted. The Bulgarian Prime Minister, Rumen Radev, accused Ukraine of destroying its own ships, suggesting Russian involvement. All 15 crew members on the Chelsea 3 were safely evacuated. In a separate incident, the Guinea-Bissau-flagged cargo ship Dignity sank, with 11 crew members missing. One week earlier, the Togo-flagged cargo ship Alfa Watan and the Palau-flagged Able were also attacked, with the crew of the Able rescued but the crew of the Alfa Watan presumed dead.

The attacks first began with the Turkish-owned Royad Mammadov near Romania’s Black Sea coast on October 5, where all 11 crew members were rescued. In response, Bulgaria has increased cooperation with affected NATO members and the alliance, with Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov announcing that Bulgaria would join NATO’s Drone Edge initiative, pledging $40 billion towards developing more counter-drone capabilities over the next five years.