Bulgaria asks EU and NATO for technical help after Black Sea drone attacks
Sofia requested forensic and technical support one week after drone strikes damaged two merchant vessels; one sank and 12 crew members are missing.
Bulgaria has asked the European Union and NATO for technical assistance to probe a series of drone strikes in the Black Sea that damaged two merchant vessels, one of which sank, Sofia announced on October 13, 2026.
What is known so far
The request for outside forensic and technical support comes one week after the attacks. Bulgarian authorities say one ship, the Alfa Vatan, was struck and sank within about three minutes; 12 crew members from that vessel are currently listed as missing. The second vessel, Able, caught fire after being hit while carrying grain to Istanbul; its 18 crew members were rescued.
Bulgarian officials have not publicly identified the attackers. “At present it is not clear whether the drones came from Russia or from Ukraine,” said Bulgarian prime minister Rumen Radev. Sofia hopes expert help from EU and NATO teams will clarify the origin and technical characteristics of the weapons used.
Military analysts in Sofia say the scale of damage to the Alfa Vatan points to a large explosive payload. “A drone capable of causing such severe damage was likely equipped with a warhead heavier than 300 kilograms,” said Professor Dimitar Nedzalkov of the Military Academy in Sofia.
Initial forensic examinations of the Able reportedly did not find drone debris on board; media reports indicate that the vessel later left Bulgarian territorial waters. One of the attacks was described by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as “another expression of Russian efforts to make the western part of the Black Sea completely unsuitable for maritime traffic.” After contacts with Bulgarian officials, Zelensky said it was established “that it is a combined Russian attack with naval and aerial drones.”
Bulgaria's appeal for EU and NATO technical cooperation aims to bring additional expertise to maritime forensics, weapons analysis and the tracking of launch points, officials said. The investigations are ongoing and Sofia has not released a final determination of responsibility for the strikes.
Photo: press material from the event
