This is NATO's last chance to prove it is not a paper tiger. Today, the Russian Federation deliberately attacked civilian vessels within the Bulgarian economic zone; one ship sank. The Russian drone attack took place 70 to 80 nautical miles off the Bulgarian coast, near Byala. The strikes were targeted, and none of the affected vessels had any connection to Ukrainian ports: ▪️ ALFA WATAN (flying the flag of Togo) sank after being hit. The freighter was en route from the Egyptian port of Al-Arish to Sulina (Romania). ▪️ ABLE (flying the flag of Palau) caught fire following a drone attack. The ship had loaded cargo in Galați (Romania) and was bound for Turkey. Bulgarian rescue teams evacuated 18 crew members; there are injuries among the sailors. Russian forces had also recently attacked a ship in the Romanian economic zone. Following this latest attack, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev immediately convened security officials. The routes taken by the targeted freighters confirm that indiscriminate attacks are being carried out against commercial shipping throughout the Black Sea. For international shipping and the security of NATO’s eastern flank, the situation is entering a phase of open terror against neutral trade routes—a scenario in which conventional expressions of diplomatic concern are clearly no longer sufficient.