By Basant El-Faramawy
Drone attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea have created a new operational challenge for Bulgarian border police as Russia’s war in Ukraine extends risks to NATO members Bulgaria and Romania. Over a 24-day period in October, nine cargo ships and tankers were struck by aerial or naval drones near the two countries’ coastlines, leaving at least 30 sailors dead or missing.
Rescue operations expand police duties
The attacks have added dangerous search-and-rescue missions to the border police’s existing tasks of combating irregular migration and cross-border crime. In one recent operation, a patrol from the Sozopol base assisted the crew of the Chelsea 3, a Ukraine-operated cargo ship sailing under a Maltese flag, after it was hit by three drones. All 15 crew members were rescued despite strong winds and high waves, said Nikolay Monev, who commands the border police base in Sozopol on Bulgaria’s southern Black Sea coast.
Enhanced coastal surveillance
“We are capable of an immediate response. Our vessels serve as the first line of response to such situations, including incidents involving drones,” Monev said. The Sozopol base, established in 2013 with European Union funding, maintains between two and five vessels on active duty at all times. Patrols are supported by coastal surveillance stations equipped with radar, thermal imaging and daylight cameras.
Analyst warns of shared maritime space
Throughout the war, Russia has repeatedly bombarded Ukraine’s Black Sea and Danube River ports, raising questions among NATO members about whether President Vladimir Putin is seeking escalation to test the alliance’s support for Ukraine. Analyst Ruslan Trad wrote in the Bulgarian business weekly Capital that the conflict was long viewed in Bulgaria as distant, affecting the country mainly through rising prices, refugees and political tensions. “Now, for the first time, it is very clear that the sea is not a border but a shared space,” Trad said. “Whatever happens on its eastern side can reach our waters.”
