Drone strikes in Black Sea threaten Bulgaria’s grain exports and summer tourism

In a televised interview, Bulgarian financier Nikola Yankov cautioned that ongoing drone attacks on merchant vessels in the western Black Sea could make securing insurance impossible, effectively shutting the Varna and Burgas ports. He highlighted that roughly five million tonnes of wheat are awaiting export and warned that freight costs could rise if ships are forced to take longer routes. Yankov called for increased NATO monitoring and allied patrols to detect threats far from Bulgarian waters.

Tourism advocate Pavlina Ilieva reported a decline in early summer bookings from major source markets, including Germany, the United Kingdom, Poland, the Czech Republic and Romania, and noted that some Bulgarian families are now weighing a holiday in Turkey. While she said it is too early to declare the season lost, the sector needs certainty to plan ahead.