3 days ago
A civilian cargo ship has sunk and its crew is missing after being attacked by drones in the Black Sea, Bulgarian officials say.
A second vessel - carrying grain - was also hit within Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said. Its 18 crew were rescued.
Radev did not say who was behind the attacks, which come as Russia intensifies strikes in the Black Sea, particularly the eastern side, as part of its war against Ukraine.
Moscow has not commented on the latest incident, a day after it was accused by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of striking a civilian vessel carrying corn. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the attacks were "unacceptable".
Air and sea drones were involved in the attacks at about 03:00 (23:00 GMT), some 70 miles (112 km) off the coastal town of Byala in eastern Bulgaria, Radev said.
#radev #carrying
A second vessel - carrying grain - was also hit within Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said. Its 18 crew were rescued.
Radev did not say who was behind the attacks, which come as Russia intensifies strikes in the Black Sea, particularly the eastern side, as part of its war against Ukraine.
Moscow has not commented on the latest incident, a day after it was accused by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of striking a civilian vessel carrying corn. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the attacks were "unacceptable".
Air and sea drones were involved in the attacks at about 03:00 (23:00 GMT), some 70 miles (112 km) off the coastal town of Byala in eastern Bulgaria, Radev said.
#radev #carrying
3 months ago
SOFIA, July 20 (Reuters) - Bulgaria, a NATO and EU member, will seek parliamentary approval on Monday for up to eight U.S. tanker aircraft to be stationed at a military airport, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said, after a move to place such planes at a civilian airport triggered controversy.
The government will ask parliament to approve a request by Washington to station tanker planes at the Bezmer military facility to support the U.S. military's operations in the Middle East, Radev told an annual conference of Bulgarian Ambassadors in Sofia.
A move earlier this year to station the aircraft, used mainly for airborne refuelling of other aircraft, at a civilian airport in the capital Sofia without prior parliamentary approval, sparked controversy and the planes left last month.
"The problem was that the military planes were based at a civilian airport in close proximity to Sofia. That is why we proposed to our allies to occupy military airfields," Radev said.
The Bezmer military base is about 260 km (160 miles) southeast of Sofia.
The government will ask parliament to approve a request by Washington to station tanker planes at the Bezmer military facility to support the U.S. military's operations in the Middle East, Radev told an annual conference of Bulgarian Ambassadors in Sofia.
A move earlier this year to station the aircraft, used mainly for airborne refuelling of other aircraft, at a civilian airport in the capital Sofia without prior parliamentary approval, sparked controversy and the planes left last month.
"The problem was that the military planes were based at a civilian airport in close proximity to Sofia. That is why we proposed to our allies to occupy military airfields," Radev said.
The Bezmer military base is about 260 km (160 miles) southeast of Sofia.
