Romania blames Russia after drone sinks Black Sea ship

Bucharest — Romania has blamed Russia for a drone strike that sank a cargo ship off its Black Sea coast on Friday, killing one crew member and leaving three missing — the deadliest episode yet in a two-week run of attacks on commercial shipping near NATO waters.

The Comoros-flagged Khoryv, carrying 10 Ukrainian and three Azerbaijani sailors, was hit 13 nautical miles off the port of Constanta, just outside Romanian territorial waters, Al Jazeera reported. The ship sent a distress signal at about 10am local time. Romania's interior ministry said a nearby commercial vessel pulled 10 people from the water; one was already dead, and three remain missing. Poor weather ruled out a helicopter search, the naval authority said.

The Khoryv had left Türkiye on Wednesday bound for Sulina, the Romanian port where the Danube meets the sea. That channel has become the main outlet for Ukrainian exporters since Russia began striking Ukraine's own Black Sea ports. According to Al Jazeera, at least seven cargo ships have been hit off Romania and Bulgaria in the past fortnight, with 30 sailors reported killed or missing.

President Nicusor Dan called the sinking "clearly part of the escalation that Russia is carrying out in the context of the war in Ukraine" and urged Moscow to accept ceasefire proposals from the United States and Europe. Prime Minister Luca Niculescu — sworn in only this week after months of political deadlock — wrote on Facebook that the attack was "unacceptable and constitutes a flagrant violation of international law". EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the attacks "reckless". Russian officials made no immediate public comment; Moscow has previously denied responsibility for drone attacks in the region, The Hindu reported.

The sinking follows a fortnight of frayed nerves in Bucharest. Romanian warplanes shot down two Russian drones over national waters last weekend, and seven crew of the chemical tanker Wine Trader went missing on October 15 after a drone attack and fire. On Thursday Romania's Supreme Council for National Defence said threats to navigation and critical infrastructure had "increased significantly" and pledged accelerated investment in maritime surveillance, mine countermeasures and anti-drone defences.

The next test is NATO's follow-through. The alliance said on Tuesday it would deploy additional patrol aircraft, radar systems and drones to the Black Sea, and Foreign Minister Dan Neculaescu says Romania is working with Bulgaria and Turkey to "fast-track" those capabilities. Announcements are not deployments; watch for when — and where — the extra aircraft actually arrive.