Russian drone attacks turn the Black Sea into the world’s deadliest waterway

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Russian drone strikes on merchant ships in the Black Sea have killed over 30 mariners, disrupting critical grain exports near NATO waters.

A vessel is seen after it was hit by a drone in the Black Sea on October 13, one of more than a dozen ships struck in the past month.

Russian drones have struck at least a dozen merchant ships in the Black Sea in recent weeks – killing more mariners than have died during the Iran war.

Russia’s goal is to throttle trade through Ukrainian ports, which export almost all the country’s grain. But some attacks have occurred close to or inside the territorial waters of two NATO states: Romania and Bulgaria.