Russian drone strike kills one in Kyiv as Bulgaria ends Black Sea ship crew hunt

A Russian drone attack on a high-rise apartment block in Kyiv overnight killed at least one person and injured five, according to reports. The strike came as rescuers ended a search for crew members from a merchant ship that sank after being hit by drones in the Black Sea off Bulgaria, a NATO member.

The Black Sea attack involved two merchant ships, the Abel and the Alpha Watan, which were struck by air and sea drones around 3am, around 70 miles off the coastal town of Byala. The incident happened inside Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone but outside its territorial waters. The Abel, sailing under a Palau flag and carrying grain, had its crew rescued. The other vessel sank completely, and the crew remained missing. Bulgaria later halted its rescue operation after finding no trace of the sailors and no information about the drone remains. Unconfirmed reports said life jackets were spotted near the sunken ship, but no people were seen. Earlier footage showed survivors in a life raft after an explosion on board, with their burning boat behind them. One earlier account said a vessel sailing under the Togolese flag had sunk, while a fire broke out on the second ship and its crew was rescued by a Bulgarian vessel. Reports on which ship sank varied.

Bulgaria's prime minister condemned the attack as an absolutely unacceptable act within the country's exclusive economic zone and a flagrant violation of international law and maritime norms. He said it would further disrupt shipping in the Black Sea, drive insurance costs higher and make navigation more difficult. Bulgaria summoned Russia's ambassador over the incident. Ukraine blamed Russia for the attacks on the commercial vessels, but the Russian embassy in Sofia denied any responsibility. Moscow has not commented on the incidents. The EU Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said the Black Sea had become another front of escalation of the Russian war in Ukraine and strongly condemned the drone attacks on merchant ships near Bulgaria's coast.

The political reaction in Bulgaria was divided. Rumen Radev, one of the EU's most pro-Russia leaders, used the attack to call for more dialogue and diplomacy rather than heavy defence spending. He argued that pouring money into the war and endless rearmament would be more expensive than efforts to find a lasting peace. Others criticised the response as hesitant and said Bulgaria's economic waters had been crossed. The attack has deepened concerns along NATO's eastern flank. Security fears have already cut demand at a shipyard outside Varna, where repair services have fallen by more than half since July as firms steer clear of the Black Sea. The disruption threatens ports, trade, exports, imports and grain shipments, with knock-on costs for goods. Ukraine relies on Black Sea shipping to keep its wartime economy afloat.

The Black Sea incidents are the second of their kind this week. A day earlier, another commercial vessel sank outside Romanian waters after a fire on board. Two people died. Ukraine blamed Russian drones. Last week, the Kremlin warned that Russia would intensify strikes on Ukraine and respond to Kyiv's maritime attacks. Western officials also point to a recent surge in suspected Russian hybrid attacks across Europe, which they see as an attempt to pressure Ukraine's allies and test NATO's defences.

In Kyiv, the overnight drone strike hit a residential block and caused further casualties. There were also strikes in Kharkiv. The attacks came despite an apparent energy ceasefire that US President Donald Trump said had been agreed by Moscow and Kyiv over the weekend. Ukraine accused Russia of hitting at least six energy targets on Monday, the day after the truce was announced, and the reported strikes since then have led analysts to conclude the ceasefire never took hold. The UK Foreign Secretary, Ed Miliband, told the Warsaw Security Forum that resolve on Ukraine and against Russian hybrid warfare was being tested. He said the job was to stop and respond, adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin was not winning the war but that this was not good enough. He said sanctions, fiscal support and defensive support for Ukraine in the coming months would all matter. The comments came after Trump moved to lift sanctions on Russian diesel, a step that UK officials suggested sent the wrong message to Moscow.

Analysts said the diplomatic picture remained chaotic. Keir Giles of Chatham House said there was a familiar pattern in which Trump describes a ceasefire arrangement, Ukraine agrees, Russia ignores it, and Trump then blames Ukraine. He also said suggestions that Ukraine was finding it harder to detect Russian ballistic missile launches, possibly because of reduced US intelligence sharing, could encourage Russia to step up its campaign. That, he warned, added to concerns about the coming winter, when Russia has been targeting the things that keep people alive in Ukraine. Ukraine, he said, has no option but to continue, because the alternative is worse.