NATO to Add Black Sea Surveillance After Ship Attacks

NATO said it would send additional surveillance, reconnaissance and forensic assets to the Black Sea after a series of attacks on commercial shipping near Bulgaria and Romania. The announced support includes maritime patrol aircraft, radar systems, drones, intelligence personnel and teams for examining explosives, according to NATO officials. The announcement followed an October 20 meeting of the North Atlantic Council, the alliance’s main decision-making body, in Brussels. NATO spokeswoman Allison Hart said the additional assets would support surveillance, reconnaissance and forensic work. Colonel Martin O’Donnell, a spokesman for NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, said allies had sent or would send the listed capabilities and that improving situational awareness through sensors and information-sharing was a priority. The attacks have raised concerns about the safety of commercial vessels in a key route for Ukrainian exports. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said six attacks involving suspected Russian drones had occurred over 10 days. She accused the Kremlin of seeking to reduce Ukraine’s grain-export revenue and said the strikes added pressure to global...