EU blames Russia for Black Sea drone attacks on civilian shipping
EU leaders' summit conclusions on 17 October squarely placed blame on Russia for a wave of drone and unmanned-boat attacks that struck at least seven cargo vessels in the Black Sea in October.
In formal conclusions adopted at the Brussels summit on 17 October 2026, EU leaders squarely placed the blame on Russia for a surge of attacks on civilian shipping in the Black Sea. Through October, drones and unmanned surface craft struck at least seven cargo ships off Romania and Bulgaria, killing two people and leaving at least 25 missing. The San Marino-flagged chemical tanker Wine Trader, sailing from Tunisia to Romania, caught fire after a drone strike this week: five crew were rescued and seven are still missing. A day earlier the Comoros-flagged tanker Yara J, en route from Türkiye to Romania, was hit. Earlier in the month the Liberian-flagged Aframax tanker Rio was set ablaze by unmanned boats off Sochi; its 23 Indian crew were rescued. Bulgarian President Rumen Radev told parliament suspicions were increasingly pointing to Russia. NATO's Secretary-General met separately with Romania's president and Bulgaria's prime minister to coordinate a response, as EU grain exports through Bulgarian ports faced new disruption.
