Prime Minister Rumen Radev said there have been new drone attacks on ships in the Black Sea, close to Bulgarian territorial waters. One ship was hit and another has sunk.
A distress call came at 1:30am from the Chelsea 3, 18 miles east of Byala. The crew said three aerial drones hit its deck and side. The ship is Ukrainian-owned, registered in Odesa and sails under the Maltese flag.
The maritime rescue centre in Varna took action as soon as the call came in. A border police team rescued the whole crew, seven Ukrainian citizens and eight citizens of Azerbaijan, and took them to Varna port. Five of them received medical help for minor injuries, the prime minister said.
The second ship sank 17 miles east of Krapets. Radev said he learned of it at an emergency meeting of the Security Council of the Council of Ministers, footage of which is on his profile. One crew member was rescued.
"Another attack on merchant ships very close to Bulgarian territorial waters is absolutely unacceptable," Radev said.
He said there is no solid, clear evidence to blame any side. But "the logic, as I have already said, points to the result being in favour of the Russian Federation". Russian ambassador Mitrofanova will be summoned for talks today.
Radev is due to speak with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Bulgaria's permanent representatives to NATO and to the European Union have been informed.
Bulgaria wants support for an investigation into the strikes on the three ships, to establish exactly which country the drones came from. It also wants help to step up monitoring of its airspace and sea, and to improve its ability to respond.
Updated (13.10, 12:27): Five sailors from the ship that sank off Krapets have been rescued, not one as first reported, the regional administration in Dobrich said. Eleven crew members are still missing. One vessel picked up four of the rescued sailors and another ship in the area took the fifth. All five will be taken to Varna.
Follow-up: Five sailors rescued from ship that sank off Krapets, 11 missing