Bulgaria's military prosecutor said Friday a war crimes investigation had been opened into a drone attack on a Maltese-flagged freighter in the Black Sea this week.
Bulgaria's prime minister summoned the Russian ambassador to Sofia after the Chelsea 3 was hit Tuesday by three drones, while another vessel was attacked and sank with the loss of 11 crew.
A statement said the military investigation was into whether orders were given to kill crew on the Chelsea 3 and to cause large-scale damage to the vessel. The 15-person crew on the Chelsea 3 were all saved and the ship was towed to harbour.
Two non-government groups, the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee and the Bulgarian Lawyers Foundation for Human Rights, have registered legal complaints for possible war crimes in the case.
At least four ships have been attacked off the Bulgarian coast and at least two off the Romanian coast this month.
Romania's President Nicusor Dan said Thursday that NATO members would next week discuss the drone strikes in the Black Sea. Dan said this week that the attacks were "direct consequences of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine".
