Romanian President Nicusor Dan accused Russia of increasing its attacks on NATO’s eastern flank following a drone strike that sank a cargo ship off Romania’s Black Sea coast. The incident resulted in the death of at least one sailor, with three others still missing.
Video footage showed only a small part of the capsized tanker, Khoryv, visible above water as emergency vessels searched for survivors in rough conditions. The ship, which had a crew of 13 Ukrainian and Azeri sailors, sent a distress signal 13 nautical miles off the coast of Constanta. In the past two weeks, there has been a rise in attacks on commercial ships near Romania and Bulgaria, resulting in at least seven cargo ships being hit and around 30 sailors affected.
President Dan linked these incidents to Russia’s actions in its war with Ukraine. NATO announced plans to send more aircraft and drones to the Black Sea, while regional countries called for increased protection for commercial shipping.
With information from Reuters
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