More than half a dozen ships were sunk or damaged and more than two dozen sailors were killed, wounded or missing in one week.

Omissions

• The Guardian (15 Oct 2026) reported 'at least 23 sailors' killed or missing — just under two dozen; the 'more than two dozen' figure only holds if injured seafarers are added, and no source found gives a single consolidated total of killed + wounded + missing exceeding 24.
• The most precise ship count found is not 'more than half a dozen in one week': Reuters and Ara reported four drone attacks against ships within a single week, while The Guardian reported six attacks over ten days (two attacks hit two vessels each, which is how the vessel count can approach or exceed seven).
• The incidents occurred very close to or inside the territorial waters/EEZ of NATO members Bulgaria and Romania, a point the speaker's framing ('attacks against us') implicitly relies on but does not state.
• An attack that sank the Comoros-flagged vessel Khoryv is reported by Al Jazeera on 23 Oct 2026, i.e. after the session date, and is therefore excluded from the assessment.
• All sources located are news outlets citing official/national authorities; no primary statistical release (e.g. IMO, Bulgarian or Romanian navy/ministry) with consolidated vessel and casualty counts was retrievable within the search limit.

Sources

• SecondaryThe GuardianAt least 23 sailors have been reported missing or killed after attacks on commercial shipping near the coasts of Bulgaria and Romania in the [period]; seven sailors missing after drones strike tankers near Romania's Black Sea coast.
• SecondaryReutersRescuers searched on Thursday for seven missing sailors after drones struck two chemical tankers near Romania's Black Sea coast, setting [them ablaze].
• SecondaryReutersA week ago nine Syrian sailors and one Egyptian were lost at sea from a ship that sank when hit by drones in Bulgaria's Black Sea exclusive [economic zone]; eleven sailors missing after drone sinks ship off Bulgaria.
• SecondaryThe GuardianSix attacks in 10 days by suspected Russian drones mark dramatic escalation in maritime conflict.
• SecondaryAra (en.ara.cat)There have now been four drone attacks against ships in the Black Sea in just one week. Also off the Bulgarian coast, a drone attack sank a [vessel].
• SecondaryFrance 24Commercial ships are being attacked and sunk. Seafarers killed, injured, and missing, very close to the shores of Romania and Bulgaria.