Russian drone sinks Turkish grain carrier in Romania’s EEZ: NATO silent, two dead

At 10:37 local time on Sunday, October 5, a distress signal came from the bulk carrier Royad Mammadov. The vessel, flagged in Saint Kitts and Nevis, owned by Turkey’s Palmali Group, was carrying Ukrainian corn from Izmail to Ravenna, Italy. About 20–30 nautical miles south of the Romanian coast, near the Pescăruș platform, it was hit by two Russian drones — according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The result: fire, the death of the Azerbaijani captain and one other crew member, 11 rescued, three injured (aged 22–50) taken to a hospital in Constanța. The ship sank. Romanian coast guard helicopters were scrambled, but the vessel could not be saved.

And here lies the real question. Not to Moscow — to NATO.

The attack took place in Romania’s Exclusive Economic Zone. True, this is not territorial waters (12 nautical miles), but an EEZ is a zone where a state has sovereign rights over resources and jurisdiction — and, by extension, where basic security for civilian vessels should be guaranteed. Especially for a NATO member.

But NATO’s response? As of the time of writing, no official statement from NATO headquarters. Romania limited itself to calling for an “immediate moratorium on attacks against merchant vessels” and raising the issue at the UN General Assembly. The Romanian Foreign Ministry noted that 20–30% of global wheat trade and 50% of sunflower oil pass through the Black Sea corridor. Concrete steps: zero.

The next day, October 6, drones struck two more Turkish-owned ships — this time in Bulgaria’s EEZ. Alfa Watan (Togo flag) sank, crew missing. Able (Palau flag) was damaged, 18 crew rescued. Bulgaria convened an emergency meeting. European leaders — Ursula von der Leyen, Hungary, Belgium, Sweden — condemned the attacks. But NATO as an alliance remains silent.

Moscow, as usual, has its own version. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed it struck two vessels carrying “military cargo” — without mentioning the Royad Mammadov. Of course. Corn is such a military cargo. Especially when it’s headed to Italy.

Turkey’s Chamber of Shipping has recorded at least 266 attacks on civilian and commercial vessels in the Black Sea since 2022, most of them in 2026. This is not random. It is a systematic policy to strangle Ukrainian exports and intimidate international shipping.

And here is the core test: is NATO willing to defend not just territory, but the economic interests of its members in the Black Sea? If strikes on civilian ships in Romania’s and Bulgaria’s EEZs go unanswered, Russia will conclude it can push further. Further means territorial waters. And then — Article 5.

For now, there is no answer. Only dead sailors, missing crews, and rising stakes for global food security. NATO is silent. But silence is also an answer.