Romania's naval authority said the Comoros-flagged Khoryv, with a crew of 13 Ukrainian and Azerbaijani sailors, sent a distress signal 13 nautical miles off Romania's port of Constanta, just beyond Romanian territorial waters.

Nine sailors were rescued, three were missing and one body was recovered. President Nicusor Dan told reporters the ship had been hit by a drone and described the episode as part of “Russia's escalation process” in its war in Ukraine. Ursula von der Leyen said in an online post she was “deeply alarmed by yet another Russian escalation in the Black Sea”. A civilian vessel carrying Ukrainian and Azerbaijani crew was struck off the coast of Romania, she said, and “these reckless attacks target innocent lives and openly defy international law”.