Bulgaria has formally requested fighter aircraft and counter drone defenses from NATO to secure commercial shipping in the region. A NATO military source told Reuters that the drones used in these strikes were of Russian origin. Over the last two week, at least seven vessels have been hit in the Black Sea, resulting in 23 sailors dead or missing. The North Atlantic Council will convene a security discussion next week to address the shift of these attacks into member territorial waters and the requests from Sofia.
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
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Bulgaria Requests NATO Fighter Jets to Protect Black Sea Shipping
War4 days ago
Rescue teams returned to the water near the Sulina canal on Friday to locate seven crew members missing from a drone damaged chemical tanker. The vessel, the Wine Trader, which carried 12 people on board, was struck by two drones approximately 1 mile outside Romanian territorial waters, leaving five crew members rescued and the others lost. Strong winds and rough seas hampered the operation to reach the ship, where a fire broke out on the bridge. A second vessel, the Comoros flagged Yara J, was also hit by a drone inside Romanian waters, although its crew remained safe and the ship was towed to Constanta.
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