SOFIA: Ukraine has denied deliberately targeting Bulgaria after a drone exploded near the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline close to the Romanian border, prompting concerns over regional security and the possibility of another drone incident near NATO territory.
Bulgaria’s Defence Ministry said the drone was a type widely used by the Ukrainian military. The country’s foreign ministry has summoned Ukraine’s ambassador for a meeting to discuss the incident.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said it was working closely with Bulgarian authorities to establish what happened. Ukrainian spokesperson Georgiy Tykhyi stressed that the Ukrainian armed forces had not intentionally directed any assets toward Bulgaria, while blaming Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine for the wider security risks.
The drone exploded near the Kardam border crossing with Romania, in northeastern Bulgaria. Prime Minister Rumen Radev said it came down around 1,000 metres from a compressor station serving the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline, a strategically important energy route connecting Turkey and Ukraine.
No casualties were reported. However, Radev said the drone was carrying a significant amount of explosives.
After examining the debris, Bulgaria’s Defence Ministry said there was currently no evidence that the incident was deliberate. The drone ultimately crashed in a nearby sunflower field.
The incident comes amid a growing number of drone incursions and crashes across Eastern European NATO countries bordering Ukraine. Romania, in particular, has repeatedly reported drones entering its airspace since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Following the latest incident, Bulgaria said it had strengthened surveillance measures and would redeploy military personnel toward border areas to improve drone detection and response capabilities.
The episode has raised fresh concerns about the potential for the Russia-Ukraine conflict to create wider security risks for neighbouring NATO members, particularly as drone warfare continues to intensify across the region.
