Six drone attacks in ten days – NATO is now arming itself in the Black Sea

NATO is increasing its military presence in the Black Sea region as Russian attacks on Ukrainian export routes intensify. The aim is for alliance states to provide additional maritime reconnaissance aircraft, radar systems, drones and special teams to examine explosives, said the spokesman for the military headquarters in Mons to the German Press Agency. In addition, additional secret service personnel would also be mobilized.

It is crucial to improve the situation picture in the region through the increased use of sensors and more intensive data exchange, explained Martin L. O'Donnell. According to media reports in Sofia, a US Navy Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft began its mission off the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. Bulgaria's government asked the EU and NATO for support after last week's incidents.

Drone attacks on merchant ships have recently increased in the Black Sea. Among other things, transports off the coast of the NATO states Bulgaria and Romania were affected. Last week, the Ukrainian ship “Chelsea 3” was hit by three drones around 33 kilometers east of the Bulgarian coastal town of Byala. In the second incident, around 31 kilometers from the town of Krapez near the Romanian border, a ship was hit and sunk.

Before that, a Turkish merchant ship loaded with grain sank near the Romanian Black Sea town of Sfantu Gheorghe. Two sailors were killed. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the freighter was hit by Russian drones.

The EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas recently warned of a new global food crisis because of the situation. Kallas said Ukraine is one of the world's most important agricultural exporters and Russia's actions are making it more difficult to provide food to people around the world. Six attacks by suspected Russian drones within ten days marked a dangerous and unacceptable escalation.