Drone explodes near Bulgaria-Romania gas pipeline after entering airspace from Romania

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Drone explodes near Bulgaria-Romania gas pipeline after entering airspace from Romania
Drone explodes near Bulgarian gas pipeline after entering from Romania: Germany probes six flights over military base
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An unidentified drone entered Bulgarian airspace from Romania on Saturday and exploded near the village of Kardam, close to the border, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said. The explosion occurred about 1,000 meters from a compressor station on the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline, which connects Turkey to Ukraine, and 200 meters from Romania’s compressor station. There were no casualties or infrastructure damage, Radev added.
Bulgaria’s Defense Ministry said initial analysis indicated the drone was most likely a Maya decoy drone, a type widely used by the Ukrainian armed forces. The ministry stated there was no evidence the incident was intentional. The drone entered Bulgarian airspace at 8:10 a.m. local time and detonated in a sunflower field, Radev said in a statement .
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said Kyiv did not intentionally direct any assets toward Bulgaria and that the root cause of such incidents was Russia’s war. “We can say with certainty that the Ukrainian Armed Forces did not intentionally direct any assets toward Bulgaria,” Tykhyi said . Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry added that it was in close contact with Bulgarian authorities to clarify the circumstances and was open to cooperation.
Bulgarian Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova summoned Ukraine’s Ambassador Olesia Ilashchuk for a meeting on Monday, Aug. 10, to discuss the incident. Ilashchuk was not in the country at the time of the announcement .
The incident follows unauthorized drone flights over a Bundeswehr base in Mechernich, Germany, between Thursday night and Friday morning, as previously reported. In a separate development, U.S. officials familiar with intelligence reports told The Wall Street Journal that an explosive-laden drone discovered at Leipzig-Halle Airport in Germany this week likely belonged to the Russian government .
Radev announced increased security measures for strategic sites in Bulgaria and enhanced surveillance along the Bulgaria-Romania border. He noted that the drone was not detected earlier in Bulgarian or Romanian airspace, highlighting challenges in drone detection and identification. Radev also cited delays in delivering high-precision radars to the Bulgarian army and promised action .
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