Drone sinks the cargo ship Khoryv off Constanța: 1 sailor killed, 3 missing; Romania's President links it to Russia's escalation

On 23 October 2026 the Comoros-flagged cargo ship Khoryv, bound from Turkey for the Romanian Danube port of Sulina with 13 Ukrainian and Azerbaijani crew, sent a distress signal at about 10:00 local time some 24 km (13 nautical miles) off Constanța, just outside Romania's territorial waters. Romania's Interior Ministry said the vessel sustained major damage and capsized; another commercial ship rescued nine sailors alive and recovered one body, and three sailors were missing. The Romanian Naval Authority said bad weather and poor visibility prevented a helicopter rescue. It is at least the seventh merchant ship hit off Romania and Bulgaria in about two weeks.

Established by. President Nicușor Dan, 23 Oct 2026, said the ship was "struck by a drone and sank near Romanian territorial waters" and that the attack is "clearly part of the escalation that Russia is carrying out in the context of the war in Ukraine" (as reported by Reuters and The Moscow Times). Prime Minister Luca Niculescu called it "unacceptable" and "a flagrant violation of international law". The drone type and its launch point have not been published.

Latest. On 23 October 2026 the European Commission President called the attacks "reckless"; Ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria asked NATO to speed up additional surveillance for shipping, and NATO said it is sending maritime patrol aircraft, radar systems and drones to the Black Sea. No Russian response had been reported.

Link to the war against Ukraine. The ship was heading for Sulina, a Danube port on the export route used for Ukrainian cargo, during the Russian drone campaign against shipping in the western Black Sea; ten of the crew were Ukrainian.