NATO will send more maritime patrol aircraft, radar systems and drones to the Black Sea, the military alliance said on Tuesday, after a series of deadly drone attacks on shipping in the region apparently linked to Russia's war in Ukraine, Reuters reported. The announcement came after NATO's main decision-making body, the North Atlantic Council, discussed security in the Black Sea at the alliance's Brussels headquarters.
In addition to the aircraft, drones and radar systems, NATO members have sent or will send intelligence agents and teams to conduct forensic analysis of explosives, said US Army Colonel Martin L. O'Donnell, a NATO military spokesperson. NATO has not attributed the recent spate of attacks to any country, though military analysts have said Russia almost certainly carried them out; Moscow has not acknowledged responsibility.
The attacks have been deadly and sustained. Last week, seven sailors were reported missing after drones struck two chemical tankers near Romania's Black Sea coast, setting them ablaze and raising fresh security concerns along a vital shipping route used by Ukraine. At least five other cargo vessels were hit near the coasts of Romania and neighbouring NATO member Bulgaria over the previous 10 days, with at least 23 sailors reported missing or dead, Reuters reported.
"NATO has already strengthened our posture along the eastern flank, including with counter-drone capabilities," Allison Hart, NATO's principal spokesperson, said in a post on X, adding that the alliance would continue to stand united to keep its one billion people safe. The reinforcement underscores how the war in Ukraine is spilling into waters adjoining NATO territory, testing the alliance's ability to protect commercial shipping without direct confrontation.
The Black Sea has become one of the most dangerous waterways in the world, carrying Ukrainian grain and other cargo past the war zone. Military analysts say Russia has almost certainly carried out the recent attacks, though Moscow has not acknowledged responsibility and NATO has not formally attributed them to any country. The alliance's decision to send forensic explosives teams signals an effort to build an evidentiary record even as it avoids direct confrontation.