(../../../../favicon_aje.ico) Romania blames Russia after drone sinks ship in the Black Sea | Russia-Ukraine war News | Al Jazeera    (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/23/romania-blames-russia-after-drone-sinks-ship-in-the-black-sea)                                             (https://www.aljazeera.com/xml/rss/all.xml)  (https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2026/10/23/romania-blames-russia-after-drone-sinks-ship-in-the-black-sea)  (https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/afp_6ad7e5888d08-1792533896.jpg?resize=1920%2C1440)  (../../../../wp-content/uploads/2026/10/afp_6ad7e5888d08-1792533896.jpg@resize=770,513&quality=80)     (https://cdn.cookielaw.org) (https://cdn.cookielaw.org) (https://cdn.cookielaw.org) (https://cdn.cookielaw.org/scripttemplates/otSDKStub.js) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://static.chartbeat.com/) (https://static.chartbeat.com/) (https://static.chartbeat.com/) (../../../../static/css/vendor~main~d08ff9cb.24bf1742.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~748942c6.6cd3b839.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~b07b7304.e3bc53a0.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~6e6dca10.b9196be1.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~d92ce3db.c3cbd92c.r2.chunk.css) (https://www.aljazeera.com/static/media/Roboto-Bold.52bb58c8.woff2) (https://www.aljazeera.com/static/media/Roboto-Regular.c5bf51b6.woff2)  (../../../../static/css/vendor~aje/containers/home-page~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-blo~5f903362.2e08e417.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/component~aje/containers/home-page~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-~41c72a2c.6aa6af66.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/component~aje/containers/home-page~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-~06be7c11.0625e98d.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/component~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-blog-container~containers~4f526fb6.74ee3c47.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/common~493df0b3.ec3ab9b5.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/pages/article-page~6e6dca10.b625c9d1.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/common~493df0b3.ec3ab9b5.r2.chunk.css)   Skip links (romania-blames-russia-after-drone-sinks-ship-in-the-black-sea@traffic_source=rss.html#main-content-area) Skip to Content  (https://www.aljazeera.com/)          (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/live) play    Live    Sign up  Show navigation menu     Navigation menu (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/) News    Show more news sections  (https://www.aljazeera.com/middle-east/) Middle East   (https://www.aljazeera.com/africa/) Africa   (https://www.aljazeera.com/asia/) Asia   (https://www.aljazeera.com/us-canada/) US & Canada   (https://www.aljazeera.com/latin-america/) Latin America   (https://www.aljazeera.com/europe/) Europe   (https://www.aljazeera.com/asia-pacific/) Asia Pacific      (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/explainer/) Explained   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sports) Sport   (https://www.aljazeera.com/opinion/) Opinion   (https://www.aljazeera.com/videos/) Video   (https://www.aljazeera.com/interactives/) Interactives   More   Show more sections  (https://www.aljazeera.com/aljazeera-originals) Originals   (https://www.aljazeera.com/features/) Features   (https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/) Economy   (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/human-rights/) Human Rights   (https://www.aljazeera.com/climate-crisis) Climate Crisis   (https://www.aljazeera.com/investigations/) Investigations   (https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/) In Pictures   (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/science-and-technology/) Science & Technology   (https://www.aljazeera.com/audio/podcasts) Podcasts   (https://www.aljazeera.com/travel) Travel   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sponsored/) Sponsored Content        (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/live) play    Live    Click here to search search     Sign up        Navigation menu caret-left    (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/ukraine-russia-crisis/) Russia-Ukraine war   (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/inside-story/2026/5/30/is-the-war-in-ukraine-entering-a-new-phase-2) Is the war entering a new phase?   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Listen   Listen (3 mins)       Save       Share Romania blames Russia after drone sinks ship in the Black Sea on social media share-nodes    Share (https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2Flg8q4a) facebook      (https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Romania%20blames%20Russia%20after%20drone%20sinks%20ship%20in%20the%20Black%20Sea&source=sharethiscom&related=sharethis&via=AJEnglish&url=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2Flg8q4a) x    (whatsapp://send?text=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2Flg8q4a) whatsapp-stroke    (https://aje.news/lg8q4a)  copylink          google       Add Al Jazeera on Google  info      (A cargo ship is pictured in the Black Sea in Krapets, on October 14, 2026, a day after suspected Russian drones struck two cargo ships off Bulgaria, sinking one vessel and leaving 11 sailors missing in the latest spillover from the Ukraine war in the Black Sea.)   Eastern European nations have called on NATO to step up protection for commercial shipping in the Black Sea following alleged Russian drone attacks [File: AFP]   By  AFP, Anadolu, APand Reuters   Published On 23 Oct 2026 23 Oct 2026    Romania has blamed Russia for a drone strike that sank a cargo ship off Romania’s Black Sea coast, killing one crew member and leaving three others missing. It’s the latest (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/15/ship-catches-fire-in-romanias-waters-amid-rising-attacks-in-the-black-sea) drone attack targeting commercial shipping off the coasts of NATO members Romania and Bulgaria, with at least seven cargo ships hit and 30 sailors reported killed or missing in the past two weeks, raising fears of an escalation in Russia’s war against Ukraine. Recommended Stories list of 3 items list 1 of 3 (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/8/syria-calls-for-independent-probe-into-sinking-of-ship-in-black-sea) Syria calls for independent probe into sinking of ship in Black Sea  list 2 of 3 (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/26/romania-summons-russian-envoy-as-it-shoots-down-third-intruding-drone) Romania summons Russian envoy as it shoots down third intruding drone  list 3 of 3 (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2026/10/5/two-dead-after-ship-sinks-off-romania-following-fire) Two dead after ship sinks off Romania following fire   end of list  The drone struck the Comoros-flagged vessel Khoryv and its crew of 13 Ukrainian and Azeri sailors on Friday, 13 nautical miles (24km) off Romania’s port of Constanta, just outside Romania’s territorial waters. The shipping data website MarineTraffic showed the Khoryv departed Turkiye on Wednesday and was headed for Romania’s Sulina port, which links the Danube River to the Black Sea. The canal has become the primary ‌‌‌‌route for Ukrainian exporters, which rely on ports on the Danube and Romanian territorial waters, as Russia has ‌‌‌‌attacked ‌‌‌‌Ukraine’s own Black Sea ports. Video released by Romanian authorities showed only a small part of the hull of the capsized tanker still visible above ⁠⁠⁠⁠the waves as it sank. Romania launched a rescue operation after the Khoryv sent a distress signal about 10am local time (0700 GMT). Nine sailors were rescued, three were missing and one body was recovered during a search and rescue operation hampered by poor weather conditions and low visibility, Romania’s naval authority said.      Drone attack surge in the Black Sea Ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria have called on NATO to “fast-track the additional surveillance capabilities” to protect commercial shipping, after a surge in Black Sea drone attacks as fighting in Russia’s war on Ukraine escalates. NATO said on Tuesday that it would send more maritime (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/20/nato-to-send-additional-patrol-planes-to-black-sea-after-drone-attacks) patrol aircraft , radar systems and drones to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠Black Sea. Advertisement    Romanian and European officials blamed Russia for the attack, which Romania’s President Nicusor Dan called “a new example of the tragic consequences of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine”. “It is time for Russia to take peace initiatives of the United States and Europe seriously, accept the ceasefire proposals and end the war,” he said. Romania’s Prime Minister Luca Niculescu said on Facebook that the attack was “unacceptable and constitutes a flagrant violation of international law”. Moldova’s Foreign Ministry posted on X that “Russia’s continued escalation in the Black Sea endangers civilian lives, threatens freedom of navigation and undermines regional security”. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the attacks “reckless”, which “target innocent lives and openly defy international law.” Russian officials did not immediately publicly comment on Friday’s sinking. It occurred after Romanian warplanes shot down two of ⁠⁠⁠⁠the latest-generation Russian drones over Romanian territorial ⁠⁠⁠⁠waters on Saturday. Russia has previously denied it is responsible for deadly drone attacks in the region.            aj-logo             aj-logo             aj-logo       Advertisement          About About   Show more  (https://www.aljazeera.com/about-us) About Us   (https://www.aljazeera.com/code-of-ethics/) Code of Ethics   (https://www.aljazeera.com/terms-and-conditions/) Terms and Conditions   (https://www.aljazeera.com/eu-eea-regulatory/) EU/EEA Regulatory Notice   (https://privacy.aljazeera.net/) Privacy Policy   (https://privacy.aljazeera.net/cookie/) Cookie Policy   (https://www.aljazeera.com/) Cookie Preferences    (https://trust.aljazeera.net/accessibility/) Accessibility Statement   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sitemap) Sitemap   (https://careers.aljazeera.net/) Work for us      Connect Connect   Show more  (https://network.aljazeera.net/en/contact?tid=6) Contact Us   (https://www.aljazeera.com/user-accounts-help) User Accounts Help   (https://commercial.aljazeera.net/) Advertise with us   (https://www.aljazeera.com/stay-connected) Stay Connected   (https://www.aljazeera.com/newsletters) Newsletters   (https://sat.aljazeera.net/en) Channel Finder   (https://www.aljazeera.com/schedule/) TV Schedule   (https://www.aljazeera.com/podcasts/) Podcasts   (https://webapps.aljazeera.net/aje/tips/) Submit a Tip   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sponsored) Paid Partner Content      Our Channels Our Channels   Show more  (http://aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Arabic   (https://www.aljazeera.com/) Al Jazeera English   (https://www.ajiunit.com/) Al Jazeera Investigative Unit   (https://www.aljazeeramubasher.net/) Al Jazeera Mubasher   (http://doc.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Documentary   (http://balkans.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Balkans   (http://ajplus.net/) AJ+      Our Network Our Network   Show more  (http://studies.aljazeera.net/en/) Al Jazeera Centre for Studies   (http://training.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Media Institute   (http://learning.aljazeera.net/) Learn Arabic   (http://liberties.aljazeera.com/en) Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights   (http://forum.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Forum   (https://hotels.aljazeera.net/en) Al Jazeera Hotel Partners        Follow Al Jazeera English: (https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera) facebook       (https://twitter.com/ajenglish) twitter     (https://www.youtube.com/aljazeeraenglish) youtube     (https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/?hl=en) instagram-colored-outline                          (https://www.aljazeera.com/xml/rss/all.xml) rss     (https://bsky.app/profile/aljazeera.com) bluesky     (https://www.tiktok.com/@aljazeeraenglish) tiktok-colored-outline                  (Al Jazeera Media Network logo)   © 2026 Al Jazeera Media Network