Greece's Foreign Ministry has "unequivocally" condemned the recent drone attacks on commercial ships near Bulgaria's coast, which it said endanger lives and threaten maritime security in the Black Sea.

Bulgaria needs to take a more active role in identifying those responsible for drone attacks near Byala if it wants the European Union to impose sanctions on the perpetrators, EU officials in Brussels told Bulgarian media Club Z. The European External Action Service (EEAS) presented ambassadors from EU member states with a new package of 12 proposed sanctions against Russia on the previous day, in response to recent hybrid attacks, including a drone incident in Leipzig in early August.

Two merchant ships were struck by drones in Bulgaria's Exclusive Economic Zone in the Black Sea, with one vessel sinking and the 18-member crew of the other rescued, according to information from Bulgarian and Romanian authorities. The large-scale rescue operation is taking place east of Cape St.