Drone strike on two merchant ships in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone
Place: Black Sea off the Bulgarian coastRegion: Moldova and Romaniaautomatic summary
Where the versions diverge
The main discrepancy is over whose drones they were: Zelensky blames Russia and denies Ukrainian involvement, Bulgaria's defence minister says the drones' origin has not been established, TASS calls them "unidentified", and the European Commission, according to Ukrainska Pravda, calls specifically on Russia to stop the attacks. The distance from the shore is given differently: 80 nautical miles (TASS, Suspilne), about 70 miles or 130 km (Al Jazeera) and 150 km from the town of Byala (DW). Suspilne's text about two dead and 11 rescued, citing Romania's interior ministry, appears to mix in data from the 5 October incident off the Romanian coast.
What Russia reports
automatic summary TASS, citing the Bulgarian portal maritime.bg, reports that "unidentified drones" struck two merchant vessels about 80 nautical miles off the coast of Bulgaria: the Togo-flagged Alfa Watan sank, a fire broke out on the Palau-flagged Able, and eighteen crew members were taken aboard a Bulgarian ferry.
“Unidentified drones struck two merchant vessels in the Black Sea, causing injuries, maritime. bg reported.”
- Two commercial ships hit with drones in Black Sea off Bulgaria — TASS (tass.com), 6 October, 10:14
What Ukraine reports
automatic summary Suspilne reports the attack on the Alfa Watan and the Able 80 miles off the Bulgarian coast and the sinking of the Alfa Watan. Zelensky, according to Suspilne and Ukrainska Pravda, said Ukraine's Defence Forces had carried out no operations in that area and that the attack continues Russia's attempts to make the western Black Sea unfit for shipping. Ukrainska Pravda also quotes Bulgarian Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov: it is not yet possible to say whether the drones were Ukrainian or Russian. The next day, according to Suspilne, Bulgarian Vice Admiral Rumen Nikolov announced the end of the search: there is no trace of the sailors from the sunken ship. Ukrainska Pravda writes that the European Commission called on Russia to stop attacking merchant ships in the Black Sea.
“За його словами, Сили оборони України не проводили жодних операцій у цьому районі моря, а сама атака є черговою спробою РФ «перетворити західну частину Чорного моря на абсолютно непридатну для мореплавства».”
“Міністр оборони Болгарії Дімітар Стоянов каже, що поки що не можна сказати, чи дрони, які вразили два кораблі, були українськими чи російськими.”
“Немає жодних слідів моряків з першого корабля і не буде.”
“Євросоюз закликав Росію припинити атаки на торговельні судна в Чорному морі”
- Сили оборони не проводили операцій біля Болгарії: Зеленський про атаку на судна — Suspilne, 6 October, 20:18
- Болгарський міністр назвав війну РФ і України гібридною і не певен, чиї дрони вразили кораблі — Ukrainska Pravda, 6 October, 20:11
- Болгарія зупинила пошукову операцію затонулого внаслідок атаки судна — Suspilne, 7 October, 11:28
- У ЄС назвали неприйнятними удари по торговельних суднах у Чорному морі — Ukrainska Pravda, 7 October, 14:14
- Дрони атакували два торговельні судна поблизу берегів Болгарії: одне затонуло — Suspilne, 6 October, 13:47
- Угроза для судоходства вышла за пределы Украины: дроны РФ атаковали суда у Болгарии — RBC-Ukraine, 6 October, 14:25
- Болгария не будет задействовать статьи 4 и 5 НАТО из-за обстрела кораблей в Черном море — RBC-Ukraine, 6 October, 18:52
- Зеленський: Судна у водах Болгарії атакувала Росія, ВМС України вже контактує з болгарами — Ukrainska Pravda, 6 October, 20:06
- Украина не имеет отношения. Зеленский сделал заявление об атаке на суда возле Болгарии — RBC-Ukraine, 6 October, 21:54
What independent sources report
automatic summary Al Jazeera quotes Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev, who called the attack by sea and aerial drones at around 3:00 in the country's economic zone "absolutely unacceptable". DW, citing Radev, writes that the Alfa Watan sank and its crew are considered missing. Kyiv Independent adds that on the same day a Russian drone, according to Odesa governor Oleh Kiper, hit a Marshall Islands-flagged vessel, killing a crew member. The next day Al Jazeera reported that the Bulgarian authorities had ended the search for the missing sailors without finding survivors.
““This is an unacceptable attack in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone.”
“В результате одно из судов затонуло, а его экипаж считается пропавшим без вести.”
“Bulgarian authorities have ended search operations after confirming no survivors were found following a drone strike that sank a ship off the country’s coast.”
- Bulgaria searches for missing crew after drones hit two ships in Black Sea — Al Jazeera, 6 October, 16:50
- Одно из двух пораженных БПЛА судов затонуло в водах Болгарии — DW (RU), 6 October, 13:48
- Bulgaria ends search for missing crew after drone strike sinks cargo ship — Al Jazeera, 7 October, 12:12
- Drones strike merchant vessels in Black Sea off Bulgaria, Ukraine, killing at least 1 — Kyiv Independent, 6 October, 13:47
- Ukraine war latest: Russia strikes civilian vessels in Black Sea off Bulgaria's coast — Kyiv Independent, 6 October, 19:59
Confirmation
Confirmation: the sides contradict each other
The groups of sources give incompatible information (the model, reading the texts, flagged incompatible statements of fact; differing figures are shown in the card). The site does not decide who is right.
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