The probability that the drones that hit two merchant ships in the Bulgarian exclusive economic zone of the Black Sea are Russian or Ukrainian is “50/50“. This was stated by the Chairman of the Parliamentary Defense Committee Ivan Lalov.
“They are either from Ukraine or from Russia. It is 50/50“, Lalov said on BNT. According to him, the origin of the devices cannot be stated definitively before the analysis of the data and the investigation of the attack are completed.
What has been confirmed about the attack
Two merchant ships were hit at around 3:00 on October 6 east of Cape St. Atanas and the town of Byala. The ship ALFA WATAN, flying the flag of Togo, sank after being severely damaged. According to the latest information, its crew remains missing.
The second vessel - ABLE, registered under the flag of Palau, was damaged, after which a fire broke out on board. All 18 crew members were rescued. Two of the sailors were injured and transported to medical facilities in Varna.
Prime Minister Rumen Radev announced that the attack was carried out with a sea and air drone. He described it as a gross violation of international law, but said he could not yet say which country was behind the attack.
There are different versions of the origin
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine had not conducted operations in the western Black Sea and blamed Russia for the attack. According to information from Reuters, cited by NOVA, an unnamed source indicated the Russian origin of the drones.
These claims have not been confirmed by Bulgarian authorities. Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said that at the moment there is no specific data that would allow us to say whether the devices are Russian or Ukrainian.
Ivan Lalov indicated that the answer can be established through the evidence collected, including information about the route, the type of drones used and data from the surveillance of the area. Meanwhile, the search for the crew of the sunken ship and the actions to secure the sea area continue.
Sources: bntnews.bg, nova.bg, btvnovinite.bg