Commercial shipping in the Black Sea suffered a sharp escalation on October 5–6, when drone attacks sank two cargo vessels and damaged a third inside the exclusive economic zones of NATO members Romania and Bulgaria. The Togo-flagged Alfa Watan sank, while the Palau-flagged Able caught fire; its 18 crew members were evacuated, with two seriously injured. A third vessel, the Royad Mammadov, sank a day earlier off Romania, and one crew member remains missing. At least two sailors were killed.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the strikes "increasingly concerning" and "unacceptable," while cautioning that their circumstances are still being established. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev described the attack in his country's zone as a violation of international and maritime law. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, citing a joint investigation with Bulgaria, attributed the strikes to Russia and said Ukrainian forces were not operating in that part of the sea. Russian embassy officials have denied the broader hybrid-warfare allegations made by European governments.
The incidents are part of a pattern of Russian-linked "hybrid warfare" across Europe, according to multiple governments. They also carry direct commercial stakes: both grain carriers had loaded in Ukraine, and the Able was carrying wheat when attacked. The strikes underscore how the war continues to disrupt Black Sea trade, raise risks for civilian shipping, and threaten global food security.