EU blames Russia after cargo ship sinks off Romania

A drone strike sank a merchant ship carrying Ukrainian and Azerbaijani sailors off Romania’s Black Sea coast on Oct. 23, 2026, killing one crew member and leaving three missing, prompting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to condemn what she called another Russian escalation in the Black Sea.

The Comoros-flagged Khoryv sent a distress signal at around 10 a.m. local time about 13 nautical miles (24 km) from the Romanian port of Constanța, just outside Romania’s territorial waters, the Romanian navy said. Rescuers pulled nine sailors from the water and recovered the body of a tenth, while the search continued in rough seas and strong winds for the three still missing. The ship had been sailing from Ereğli, Türkiye, to the Romanian port of Sulina with a cargo of ferrous metals, and its 13-member crew included 10 Ukrainian and three Azerbaijani nationals.

Von der Leyen addressed the attack in a post on X, writing that she was deeply alarmed by yet another Russian escalation in the Black Sea and that her thoughts were with the family of the sailor who was killed and the families of the three crew members still missing.

“These reckless attacks target innocent lives and openly defy international law,” wrote European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Romanian President Nicușor Dan said the Khoryv was struck by a drone and sank near Romania’s territorial waters, and he accused Russia of escalating attacks on NATO’s eastern flank. Video released by Romanian authorities showed only a small part of the capsized hull still above the waves before the ship went under.

The sinking is the latest in a string of drone attacks on merchant shipping off Romania and Bulgaria. Romanian broadcaster Digi24 reported that drones have hit 11 merchant vessels in the Black Sea in recent weeks, seven of them near Romania. Earlier this month, the Turkish-owned Royad Mammadov caught fire and sank after a drone strike while carrying grain from the Ukrainian port of Izmail to Ravenna, Italy, killing two crew members, and a separate attack on the commercial vessel Wine Trader left several crew members missing, including a Croatian citizen.

The attacks have drawn a growing response from NATO allies on the Black Sea. Romania’s Supreme Council of National Defence discussed the situation at a meeting on Oct. 22, and a NATO committee had previously met at the request of Romania and Bulgaria, as the alliance stepped up military aircraft deployments over the area. The Croatian Seafarers’ Union has called for the waters off Bulgaria and Romania to be declared a combat zone.

Romanian rescue teams were continuing the search for the three missing sailors on Oct. 23.