NATO deploys additional Black Sea assets after five cargo vessels are attacked

After attacks near Romania and Bulgaria, 23 sailors were reported dead or missing

NATO ambassadors met Tuesday in the North Atlantic Council to discuss security in the Black Sea and announced that the alliance would send additional military assets to the region, spokesperson Allison Hart said.

“Today, Nato ambassadors met in the North Atlantic Council to discuss security in the Black Sea. Nato has already strengthened our posture along the eastern flank, including with counter-drone capabilities. Nato will be sending additional assets to the region, including support for surveillance, reconnaissance, and forensics,” Hart said.

The planned deployment includes maritime patrol aircraft, radar systems, drones and intelligence personnel. The Guardian said the announcement came amid concern about the growing geographic reach of Russia’s war in Ukraine and the potential for further friction between Russia and NATO.

The Guardian reported that five more vessels were attacked on Tuesday. Russia’s military said it struck three cargo vessels in Ukraine’s port of Reni and two other cargo vessels en route to Odesa. The wider series involved vessels taking grain and other agricultural cargoes from Ukrainian ports. The Guardian described those cargoes as central to Ukraine’s economy.

At least five other cargo ships were hit near the coasts of Romania and Bulgaria in the past two weeks, and 23 sailors were reported dead or missing. Most of those incidents occurred outside NATO territorial waters. The Guardian described the sharply rising death toll among civilian seafarers as having made Black Sea routes the world’s most dangerous.

Last week, two chemical tankers were hit by drones near Romania’s Black Sea coast. Both vessels were anchored near the Sulina canal, which links the Danube River to the Black Sea and is an export route for Ukraine. The attacks were the latest in a series affecting commercial shipping near Romania and Bulgaria.

The London shipping insurance market’s new high-risk designation covers the Black Sea except for the territorial waters of Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey. Ambrey, a maritime insurer and risk analyst, separately said there was no end in sight to threats to Black Sea cargo shipping, including grain and oil, and that insurance prices for passage of the waters had rocketed.

Last week, Tomas Alexa, a senior analyst at Ambrey, said his company had noted a sharp increase in the tempo of attacks beginning in July. He said Russian forces were estimated to be responsible for 80% of them.

Alexa suggested the recent loss of life had been exacerbated by “double tap” attacks involving aerial and surface drones, with the latter often carrying up to half a tonne of explosive payloads. He said smaller vessels that primarily use the Danube canal system had sunk rapidly.

“While attacks against merchant vessels in the Black Sea are not new, we are seeing an escalation both in terms of the number of attacks and in the geographical scope,” Alexa said.

The reported concern followed alleged Russian attacks that had increasingly edged into the territorial waters and exclusive economic zones of Bulgaria and Romania. Romania deployed jets over the weekend to shoot down two suspected Russian drones over Romanian territory.

Romania has recorded 35 unauthorized drone incursions this year, compared with nine in 2025. Romanian forces have downed six drones this year, compared with zero last year.

A photograph published with The Guardian’s report showed a Romanian air force F-16 fighter jet firing at a drone flying over the Black Sea near Sulina on 17 October. Romanian Defense Minister Radu Miruță said the drones were probably latest generation Russian drones flying at speeds similar to fighter jets.

“The ones from last night were flying at 450 km/h, which leads us to think they were Russian-made Geran-4 drones with a turboprop engine,” Miruță said. “This is the first time we’ve shot down drones like these.”

A photograph published with the report showed four rescued sailors arriving in Bulgaria after their vessel sank following an attack in the Black Sea this month. Bulgaria asked NATO to deploy combat aircraft and anti-drone systems to its territory. On 18 October, France sent a maritime reconnaissance aircraft to Romania.