European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday, 6 October declared attacks on civilian shipping in the Black Sea 'unacceptable', warning that the situation in the region is becoming 'increasingly concerning' after two commercial vessels were struck in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone — just a day after a Turkish ship carrying Ukrainian grain was sunk off the Romanian coast.

What Happened in the Black Sea

At approximately 3 am local time (0000 GMT), two merchant ships were attacked by sea and air drones roughly 70 nautical miles east of the Bulgarian town of Byala, according to Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev. The attacks were confirmed by eyewitnesses, Radev said.

The first vessel, flying the flag of Togo, sank following the strike. As of Radev's statement, no survivors from the first ship had been located. The second ship was set on fire, but its 18-member crew managed to evacuate and was rescued by a naval vessel. Of those crew members, one sustained burns and one suffered a head injury; the remaining 16 were unharmed. Eleven crew members were Turkish citizens and seven were Indian citizens.

Radev noted that the second ship was loaded with wheat and was heading south, while the sunken vessel was heading north.

Von der Leyen's Statement on X

Von der Leyen, posting directly on social media platform X, underscored the gravity of the escalation. 'Commercial ships — and innocent crews — are being targeted, with lives already lost at sea. Today, two commercial vessels were hit in Bulgaria's economic zone in Black Sea. This comes just one day after a Turkish ship carrying Ukrainian grain was struck and sunk off the Romanian coast,' she wrote.

'While exact circumstances of these incidents are still being established, the developments are very concerning. Attacks on civilian shipping are unacceptable. We stand in full solidarity with our Member States on the Eastern flank,' she added.

Bulgaria's Response

Prime Minister Radev called the strikes 'an absolutely unacceptable attack' and pledged that Bulgaria would 'do everything possible' to search the area and, where possible, rescue any survivors from the crew of the first ship. A naval vessel has already been deployed to the area.

Broader Context and What It Means

The back-to-back incidents mark a sharp escalation in threats to commercial maritime traffic in the Black Sea — a critical corridor for grain and commodity exports, particularly from Ukraine. The targeting of a Turkish vessel the previous day, followed by strikes in Bulgaria's economic zone, signals that attacks are no longer confined to Ukrainian waters. Both Bulgaria and Romania are NATO and European Union member states, making these incidents of direct geopolitical consequence for the bloc. The exact circumstances and attribution of the attacks had not been formally established at the time of the statements, and officials were careful to note that investigations were ongoing.