The President of Romania, Nicolae Ciucă, accused Russia on Friday of attacking a commercial ship in the Black Sea. The attack was carried out using a drone and led to the sinking of the ship and the death of at least one sailor. At the time of the incident, 13 Ukrainian and Azerbaijani sailors were on board the ship, which was moving near Romania's territorial waters.
Details of the Attack and Consequences
According to Nicolae Ciucă, three other sailors are also missing in this incident, and nine of the 13 sailors from the ship have been rescued. The attacked ship, named "Khoryo," is the fourth commercial vessel to be targeted this month off the coast of Romania. Two weeks ago, two other commercial ships also caught fire in the Black Sea west of Romania.
Security Concerns in the Black Sea
These attacks have jeopardized the security of the Black Sea, which is recognized as a vital corridor for Ukraine's commercial transport. One of the previous ships was located in Romania's territorial waters, raising further concerns about Russian provocations in waters close to NATO member countries. Bulgaria, which is also a NATO member, has expressed similar concerns and pointed to the proximity of Russian attacks to its exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea.
Romania and Bulgaria have also held Russia accountable for these attacks and have urged NATO to take further actions to protect commercial shipping in the Black Sea. NATO announced this week that it intends to send more maritime patrol aircraft and radar systems to the Black Sea to enhance security. However, the alliance has not blamed any country for these attacks.
According to reports, in the ten days leading up to October 15, about 23 sailors have been reported missing or killed in incidents in the Black Sea. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, also condemned these attacks earlier this month, calling them "unacceptable" and stating that "the Black Sea has become another front in Russia's escalation of the war in Ukraine."
