NATO convenes urgent meeting over drone attacks on vessels in Black Sea
Next week, ambassadors from NATO member countries will meet to discuss drone attacks on ships off the coasts of Romania and Bulgaria.
According to Censor.NET, France24 reports on this.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated that the Alliance will continue to work closely with its allies in the Black Sea region and will adjust its deterrence and defense measures as needed.
Romania is requesting equipment to counter new threats
Speaking to reporters in Brussels, Romanian President Nicușor Dan announced that NATO will hold a meeting to address the increasing number of drone attacks on ships in the Black Sea.
According to him, Romania needs "equipment to address new types of challenges."
Incidents involving civilian vessels have become more frequent off the coasts of Bulgaria and Romania. This is likely related to Russia's war against Ukraine.
What led up to this?
- On the night of October 13, drones attacked two merchant ships off the Bulgarian coast.
- In addition to the sunken vessel, three drones struck the Maltese-flagged cargo ship CHELSEA 3, which is registered in Odesa and, according to Bulgarian media reports, belongs to Ukraine.
- All 15 crew members of the CHELSEA 3, including seven Ukrainians, were evacuated to the port of Varna. Five sailors required medical attention.
- Following the attacks, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev convened an emergency meeting of the Security Council and announced his intention to demand an explanation from Russian Ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanova.
- At the same time, Bulgarian authorities emphasized that there is currently no conclusive evidence regarding the origin of the drones.
- Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga stated that Ukrainian and Azerbaijani citizens were injured as a result of attacks on merchant ships near Bulgarian territorial waters.
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned the attacks on civilian vessels in the Black Sea.
