DRONES SINK SHIP AND SET SECOND ABLAZE IN BULGARIAN WATERS

Drones struck two commercial vessels in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea on Tuesday, in the first such attack on shipping in the Nato member's waters. Bulgarian authorities said the origin of the drones was under investigation. Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, blamed Russia, saying Ukraine's navy had confirmed the strikes were a combined Russian attack using maritime and aerial drones. Bulgaria's prime minister, Rumen Radev, called it "an unacceptable attack" and "a blatant violation of international law and maritime law" after an emergency government meeting. Russian officials made no immediate comment, and Nato referred inquiries to Bulgarian authorities.

Radev said sea and aerial drones hit the vessels at around 3am, roughly 80 miles (128km) off Bulgaria's coast. The Togo-flagged Alfa Watan, sailing north, suffered critical structural damage and sank at the scene, with no immediate word on the fate of its crew. The Palau-flagged Able, carrying wheat and sailing south, caught fire after being struck. A Bulgarian ferry evacuated all 18 crew members from the Able, and two sailors with severe injuries were flown to hospital in Varna, Radev said.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine's military had carried out no operations near where the vessels were struck. He described the attack as part of a Russian effort to make the western Black Sea "completely unfit for navigation." Bulgaria's president, Iliana Yotova, convened an emergency meeting of the country's Security Council for Wednesday afternoon to address risks to Bulgaria's maritime security and critical infrastructure linked to the war in Ukraine. Bulgarian authorities said their investigation into the drones' origin was continuing.