Drones Hit Bulgarian Vessels in Black Sea as Zelenskyy Blames Russia
Two commercial vessels were struck by drones in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea. Bulgaria is investigating the drones' origin, while Zelenskyy blames Russia.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said two commercial vessels were hit by drones on Tuesday, the first attack on shipping in the Black Sea exclusive economic zone of a NATO member. Radev called it an unacceptable attack and a blatant violation of international and maritime law. Bulgarian authorities are investigating where the drones came from, while Volodymyr Zelenskyy has blamed Russia.
Explosions in Kyiv
Explosions were heard in Kyiv on Wednesday after the military warned that a ballistic missile was heading for the capital. In his nightly address on Tuesday, Zelenskyy said Russia was planning a "massive strike" and that Ukrainian services and the air force were ready to respond within the limits of their available air defences. After Russian attacks on energy infrastructure, rolling blackouts were ordered in Kyiv, starting at 3pm local time and lasting until the end of the day.
Ukrainian strikes on Russia
Russia's transport ministry said naval drones hit a Liberian-flagged tanker off Russia's southern coast on Tuesday evening. Burning crude oil caused a huge fire, and black smoke covered parts of Sochi. Russia's defence ministry said it intercepted nearly 900 Ukrainian drones overnight from Monday into Tuesday. Unconfirmed media reports said a major fuel depot in the Moscow region was on fire. In the Russian-occupied part of Zaporizhzhia region, a Ukrainian drone hit a minibus and killed three people, according to Moscow-installed authorities.
Sanctions and other developments
EU envoys are expected on Wednesday to approve about 1,650 new designations under the bloc's Russia sanctions regime, mostly targeting the military industrial complex. It would be the largest single set since the full-scale invasion in 2022. Ukraine also said oil product shipments through South Korea helped Moscow offset refining losses. Separately, the Kremlin dismissed warnings from Germany's foreign intelligence chief about the risk of conflict, calling them baseless.
