Demerdzhiev: Bulgaria has requested help over drone attacks in the Black Sea

Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev said Bulgaria had sought help from the US, its European partners and international organisations because of the situation in the Black Sea. He expects further attacks involving unmanned aerial vehicles. According to BurgasMedia, the outlet reporting his statement, the minister spoke to journalists in Plovdiv on Sunday, 8 November.

New equipment along the maritime border

Demerdzhiev said the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Defence had mobilised their resources, accelerated work on counter-drone capabilities and were installing new technical equipment along the maritime border. He said Bulgaria's technical capabilities for protection needed to improve significantly.

The models, quantities and timetable for bringing the equipment into service have not been specified. Nor has it been clarified whether it will be used to detect, identify and track unmanned systems, to counter them, or for both tasks. The announced measures therefore do not in themselves indicate what protective coverage they will provide.

The request for international assistance does not mean that support has already been agreed or delivered. Neither its type and scale nor any specific commitments from partners have been announced.

Operations outside territorial waters

Demerdzhiev clarified that the incidents were not in Bulgaria's territorial waters but in its exclusive economic zone. According to the minister, the authorities can primarily undertake rescue operations there, as international maritime law and the rules in force place restrictions on their intervention.

This is the minister's explanation of the authorities' powers, not an independent legal assessment of all permissible actions. He did not specify which incidents he meant, so his description cannot automatically be applied to every case along the Black Sea coast.

Forecast of further attacks without a specific threat identified

On 6 October 2026, the ship Alfa Watan sank following an attack involving unmanned aerial vehicles in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone. On 28 October, three unmanned surface vessels struck the container ship CONTSHIP JET off Cape Kaliakra. These confirmed attacks provide direct context for the risk to shipping, but do not establish exactly which cases the minister was referring to.

Demerdzhiev's expectation of further attacks is a forecast, not an announcement of an attack that has already taken place. The statement identifies no suspected perpetrator, targets or timeframe. Nor can it be used to conclude that the previous attacks form part of a single campaign.

This is a developing story and may be updated if clarification emerges about the assistance requested, the equipment and the incidents.