A drone entered Bulgarian airspace from the direction of Romania early Saturday and exploded about 100 meters inside the border near the former Kardam border checkpoint, prompting authorities to strengthen surveillance and security measures along the country's northern frontier.
The incident occurred at around 8:10 a.m. near a sunflower field, about 200 meters from a Romanian compressor station and roughly 1 kilometer from a Bulgarian compressor station on the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline. No one was injured and there was no damage to buildings, infrastructure or the surrounding agricultural land.
Prime Minister Rumen Radev announced the incident after an extraordinary meeting of the Security Council at the Council of Ministers. He said the drone had entered from Romanian airspace but had not been detected either in Romania or Bulgaria. There was also no information from the Combined Air Operations Center in Torrejon, Spain, which monitors airspace across Southern Europe.
“This drone has not been detected or identified in Romanian airspace. Nor in our airspace,” Radev said, describing the detection of small drones flying at low altitude as a major challenge.
The aircraft was badly damaged in the explosion, making it impossible for authorities to immediately determine whether it was a civilian or military drone. Radev said, however, that “this is not a toy drone, it is larger.” Authorities are examining the wreckage to establish its exact type and whether it was carrying an explosive payload. The prime minister said it was too early to determine whether the incident was a deliberate attack.
