Bulgaria / 2026-10-06-bg-1
/ date of the event
At about 03:00 local time on 6 October 2026, the Togo-flagged Alfa Watan was attacked in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone. The ship sank and 10 crew members went missing. The search ended at 17:00 local time on 6 October without finding anyone, as the Maritime Administration reported the next day. Rafts and an overturned lifeboat were found. Ending the search does not confirm 10 deaths. Bulgaria’s prime minister confirmed a series of sea and aerial drone attacks on two ships without naming the operator. AP reports that Ukraine’s president attributed the series to Russia; Bulgarian authorities were still investigating the devices’ origin. The type, model and number of devices striking this vessel are undetermined. This is a separate entry for this ship, without an additional series aggregate. The EEZ is outside Bulgaria’s territorial sea. Exact coordinates have not been established; the entry has no map point. A navy briefing on 9 October confirmed the wreck at a depth of approximately 2,000 metres. Ten people remain missing; ten deaths are not confirmed. On 12 October, Bulgaria’s president Iliana Yotova said that the perpetrator and devices’ origin remained undetermined. EMSA was asked for an underwater device to inspect the Alfa Watan wreck; this is a request for assistance, not a completed expert examination. This is Bulgaria’s position, separate from Ukraine’s president attributing the series to Russia on 6 October.
officially attributed
A court or a competent state body has attributed it. That is not the same as a proven attack: an indictment is an allegation, not a verdict.
Named party: Russian Federation, according to Ukraine’s president
B - official attribution by a state body
Prezydent Ukrainy Wołodymyr Zełenski / 2026-10-06 / carrying out the act
According to AP, Ukraine’s president attributed the series of attacks on two ships to Russia. Bulgaria’s prime minister did not name the operator; drone origins were under investigation. Grade B describes attribution by a Ukrainian state authority, not a finding by Bulgarian investigators.
Prezydent Bułgarii Iliana Jotowa, wywiad bTV przytoczony przez Flagman / 2026-10-12 / carrying out the act
On 12 October, Bulgaria’s president Iliana Yotova said that the perpetrator and devices’ origin remained undetermined. EMSA was asked for an underwater device to inspect the Alfa Watan wreck; this is a request for assistance, not a completed expert examination. This is Bulgaria’s position, separate from Ukraine’s president attributing the series to Russia on 6 October.
10 crew members missing. The search ended without finding them; confirmed death and injury counts remain undetermined.
pending editorial review
The map describes the entire crew as dead; the report confirms 10 missing people, not 10 established deaths.
The Maritime Administration confirmed that the search ended on 6 October at 17:00 without finding the crew.
The navy confirmed the wreck at a depth of approximately 2,000 metres. The toll remains 10 missing, without an established death count.
On 12 October, Bulgaria’s president Iliana Yotova said that the perpetrator and devices’ origin remained undetermined. EMSA was asked for an underwater device to inspect the Alfa Watan wreck; this is a request for assistance, not a completed expert examination. This is Bulgaria’s position, separate from Ukraine’s president attributing the series to Russia on 6 October.
Euronews / 2026-10-06 / secondary source
supports: the record, that it happened, the date, the location, the impact
Associated Press / 2026-10-06 / secondary source
supports: the record, that it happened, the date, the location, the attribution
Maritime.bg / 2026-10-09 / secondary source
supports: the record, the impact
Flagman / 2026-10-12 / secondary source
supports: the record, the attribution