Sailors missing after fresh attacks on Black Sea vessels, Bulgaria says

One merchant ship has sunk and its crew is missing after a drone attack in the Black Sea, Bulgarian authorities say.

Key points

• A second vessel – carrying grain – was additionally hit within Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone, Prime Minister Rumen Radev stated.
• Moscow has not commented on the latest incident, a day after it was accused by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of striking a civilian vessel carrying corn.
• Russia introduced a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
• A separate attack on Tuesday, near Odesa, saw a crew member killed and seven more injured.
• The sunken ship was flying under the flag of Togo, he remarked.

In practice, a second vessel – carrying grain – was additionally hit within Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone, Prime Minister Rumen Radev stated. Its crew of 18 were rescued.

Radev did not say who was behind the attacks. It come as Russia intensifies strikes in the Black Sea as part of its war against Ukraine.

Air and sea drones were involved in the attacks at regarding 03: 00 (23: 00 GMT), some 70 miles (112 km) off the coastal town of Byala in eastern Bulgaria, Radev stated.

Meanwhile, the sunken ship was flying under the flag of Togo, he remarked.

In practice, a Bulgarian vessel was close by, but when they arrived all they saw was an overturned boat and rafts as well as life jackets. It was not clear how plenty of crew members were on board. A search operation has been introduced. The vessel's cargo was not immediately known.

Radev remarked Bulgarian sailors had rescued the crew members from the second ship – including two who were injured in a fire on board. Eleven were Turkish and seven Indian nationals. The vessel was carrying grain. Radev condemned the strikes as "a flagrant violation of maritime law".

He remarked to journalists: "Such an attack within the Bulgarian exclusive economic zone is absolutely unacceptable."

Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea is just over 29, 000 sq km (11, 197 sq miles), regarding 6% of the total size of the Black Sea.

For context, a separate attack on Tuesday, near Odesa, saw a crew member killed and seven more injured. The ship was flying the flag of the Marshall Islands, according to Ukrainian media.

On Sunday, Russia's defence ministry remarked it would intensify its strikes throughout Ukraine in response to comments created by Zelensky earlier last week, in which he remarked Kyiv would ramp up its attacks on Russian oil refineries. Russia introduced a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

In short, sailors missing after fresh attacks on Black Sea vessels, Bulgaria says is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.