Romanian president blames Russia for drone strike on commercial ship in Black Sea

"This is part of the escalation of Russia's war against Ukraine," Dan told reporters, later adding that the vessel had been struck by a drone.

At around 10 a.m. on Oct. 23, the Romanian Maritime Authority's coordination center received a distress call from the Khoryv, a vessel in distress outside Romania's territorial waters. The incident occurred 24 kilometers from Constanta.

The commercial vessel, flying the flag of the Comoros Islands, had 13 crew members on board: 10 Ukrainian citizens and three Azerbaijani citizens.

Video released by Romanian authorities showed only a small section of the overturned vessel's hull still protruding above the waves as it sank. Emergency rescue teams searched the surrounding area in rough seas and strong winds, trying to locate survivors.

Nine sailors were rescued from the water. Three remain missing, and one body was recovered.

On the evening of Oct. 14, a drone attacked the Yara J oil tanker near the Romanian city of Sulina. The vessel was sailing without cargo under the flag of the Comoros Islands. Adrian Mihalcioiu, head of Romania's seafarers' union, said the attack appeared to have been "deliberate and directed at a vessel that was likely heading to Ukraine."

On the morning of Oct. 15, a fire broke out aboard the San Marino-flagged tanker Wine Trader in the Black Sea near Sulina, Romania. There were 12 sailors on board.

Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Toiu blamed Russia for the attacks on civilian vessels, saying Moscow was turning the Black Sea into a dangerous zone.

On Oct. 15, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte met with Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev and Romanian President Nicușor Dan. Following the meetings, he said NATO would "continue to work closely with Allies in the Black Sea, adjusting our deterrence and defense posture as needed."

On Oct. 16, Bulgaria formally asked NATO to deploy combat aircraft and counter-drone systems to strengthen the country's defenses following a series of drone attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea.

NATO later announced that the alliance would deploy additional maritime patrol aircraft, radar systems and drones.