The new strikes on merchant ships in the Black Sea raise the question of how well the Bulgarian coast is protected and what risks the expansion of military actions in the region poses.
Former defense minister Angel Naydenov commented on the show "Denyat ON AIR" the escalation, the possible targets of the attacks and the need for support from NATO allies.
Security in the Black Sea
According to him, the tension in the Black Sea is not from recent weeks. It has been going on since 2023, when Russia withdrew from the grain agreement that determines the routes of ships to and from Ukrainian ports. Attacks on commercial shipping in the region also date back to 2024.
"The Black Sea has long been an arena of direct military actions and attacks on commercial shipping", the former minister commented to Bulgaria ON AIR.
According to him, the attacks of October 6 and the subsequent attacks have dispelled the notion that the western part of the Black Sea is relatively safe due to its proximity to Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey and its distance from direct hostilities.
Dozens of ships have been attacked in the region
Naydenov noted to Bulgaria ON AIR that between July 1 and September 28, 156 attacks on ships in Russian and Ukrainian waters were registered, as well as 139 attacks on ports.
According to him, 45 ships have been attacked in the regions of Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey since the beginning of the year. Until September, these areas were considered relatively low-risk.
The former defense minister described the attacks as a gross disregard for moral and legal norms related to shipping.
According to Naydenov, there is no doubt that Russian forces are behind the strikes. He pointed out that it makes no sense for Ukraine to attack merchant ships, and according to him, the circumstances point towards Russia.
He believes that one of the possible goals is the blocking of routes in the adjacent zone of Bulgaria - up to 12 nautical miles beyond the territorial sea. Until recently, this corridor was considered relatively safe.
"I believe that the attacks are a brutal display of any moral and legal norms related to shipping. These strikes turn the crews into defenseless hostages of drone strikes.
Article 4 Procedure
According to Naydenov, we are in practice within the framework of the Article 4 procedure, "because there is already a reaction from European and NATO leaders and structures anyway.
Article 4 provides that each member state can request consultations when it believes that its territorial integrity, political independence or security is threatened.
"There is no doubt that the attacks are Russian", he stressed.
"There is another logic to the strikes - blocking the routes in the adjacent zone of Bulgaria, these 12 miles from the territorial sea inland, since this was until recently considered a relatively safe corridor. The other move that can be expected is an increase in traffic through the territorial waters of Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey, which already fall mainly into the direct area of responsibility of the Bulgarian armed forces.
In his words, we are not completely defenseless, as additional forces and assets of the allies will be relied on, not only for surveillance and identification, but also for destruction.