The drone attacks against two merchant ships in the Black Sea were carried out in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone, but do not pose a direct threat to the country. This was stated by Assoc. Prof. Milen Ivanov, former deputy rector of the Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and an expert on national security, in the program “Bulgaria Morning“ on Bulgaria ON AIR.
“This attack took place in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone and is quite far from the coasts of our country“, said Ivanov. According to him, the attacks are part of Russia's strategy in the war in Ukraine, aimed at hindering supplies through the Black Sea.
One ship sank, the other caught fire
The drones hit the ships east of Cape Sveti Atanas and the town of Byala. One vessel sank after critical structural damage, and a fire broke out on the other. The entire 18-member crew of the second ship was evacuated.
The Bulgarian-flagged ferry DIOSCURIA joined the rescue operation. Rescued sailors, including some wounded, were taken on board. The injured were provided with first aid, and some of them were sent to the Naval Hospital in Varna. Bulgarian rescue units are coordinating the medical evacuation.
According to preliminary data, the attacked ships are ALFA WATAN, flying the flag of Togo, and ABLE, flying the flag of Palau. There is still no confirmed information whether the drones are Russian or Ukrainian. The case is the first attack on vessels in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone.
Ivanov: Bulgaria must have a drone detection system
According to Milen Ivanov, Bulgarian countermeasure systems cannot be used in the absence of a direct threat to the country's territory. However, he stated that Bulgaria should already have a system for early detection and destruction of drones.
Because of the incident, Prime Minister Rumen Radev is calling a meeting with representatives of the institutions. President Iliyana Yotova has changed her schedule and canceled a visit to Veliko Tarnovo.
The expert also comments on the bomb threats
In the program, Ivanov also commented on the series of online bomb threats received by schools and institutions. According to him, the texts were probably created with the help of artificial intelligence, but it is not clear who the original source is and who is behind the attack.
„It is not clear who the original source of this attack is. It is almost impossible to find out who the author is.“According to Ivanov, similar signals have been received for years, and almost all institutions are prepared to implement the established protocol.
Sources: dnes.bg, bgonair.bg