Cargo ship sinks near Romanian waters after drone strike as Romania blames Russia

The Moscow Times reports that Romanian President Nicușor Dan said the Khoryv was struck by a drone and sank near Romanian territorial waters. The ship was flying the Comoros flag, according to the same report and reporting by the Times of India.

The Times of India reported that one sailor died and three others were missing after the incident. The supplied material does not identify the sailors or provide further details about the ship’s cargo.

Romania’s attribution was reported by the Times of India, The Hindu, Deutsche Welle and The Moscow Times. Those reports present Russia’s role as Romania’s allegation or assessment; the supplied evidence does not independently establish that Russia was responsible.

The sinking comes amid what Deutsche Welle and The Hindu described as a broader increase in strikes against civilian or commercial shipping in the western Black Sea, including waters off Romania and Bulgaria. Deutsche Welle reported that attacks on ships involved in exporting Ukrainian grain and cargo through the area had sharply increased, while The Hindu described deadly attacks on civilian shipping in waters off the two countries.

The supplied reports do not establish the exact date of the sinking or its precise coordinates. They also do not provide an independently verified account of Russian responsibility beyond Romania’s attribution.