Bulgaria / 2026-10-13-bg-2
/ date of the event
On 13 October 2026, HS Dignity, flying Guinea-Bissau’s flag, was struck and sank in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone. The transport ministry gave a time of about 01:20 local and a location 17 nautical miles east of Shabla. On 13 October, BTA quoted the ministry as saying Azov Concord and SCANDI ASSERTER helped five survivors. A sailors’ union account quoted by Anadolu reports 16 people aboard and 11 missing. Missing people are not confirmed fatalities. The prime minister’s aggregate statement on 14 October referred to four survivors from one of the sunken ships; the final toll remains unresolved. Azov Concord helped in the rescue, rather than being an alternative name for the sunken HS Dignity. The minister described a surface attack, while the sailors’ union described an aerial drone and two surface drones; the types, models and exact device count remain undetermined. On 13 October, Bulgarian Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said the devices were not clearly identified but he suspected the Russian side. This is an officially expressed suspicion concerning the series, not an established investigation finding. The EEZ is not Bulgaria’s territorial sea. Exact coordinates are undetermined; the entry has no map point.
suspected
Someone has named a perpetrator, but this is neither a court finding nor a formal attribution by a state.
Named party: the Russian side, according to Bulgaria’s defence minister’s suspicion
C - official suspicion
Minister obrony Bułgarii Dimityr Stojanow, wypowiedź przytoczona przez BNT / 2026-10-13 / carrying out the act
On 13 October, Bulgarian Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said the devices were not clearly identified but he suspected the Russian side. This is an officially expressed suspicion concerning the series, not an established investigation finding.
13 October accounts: 5 rescued and 11 missing out of 16 crew. On 14 October the prime minister referred in an aggregate statement to 4 survivors from one sunken ship. Reports differ; confirmed deaths and injuries remain undetermined.
pending editorial review
reported (number not established)
On 13 October the transport ministry reports five survivors; on 14 October the prime minister refers to four in an aggregate statement. The union reports 11 missing; this does not establish 11 deaths.
The minister describes a surface attack; the sailors’ union an aerial drone and two surface drones. Models and exact device count are unverified.
Early reporting/the erroneous map description confused HS Dignity with Azov Concord. BTA quotes the ministry as identifying Azov Concord as a participant in the rescue.
BTA / 2026-10-13 / secondary source
supports: the record, that it happened, the date, the location, the impact
BNT / 2026-10-13 / secondary source
supports: the record, the attribution, the operator
BNT / 2026-10-14 / secondary source
supports: the record, the location, the impact
Anadolu Agency / 2026-10-13 / secondary source
supports: the record, the impact, the operator