The drone incidents in Europe have ignited fears that Moscow’s war on Kyiv is now entangling NATO nations.A drone has exploded in Bulgaria near the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline, the latest in a surge of unidentified unmanned aerial vehicles flying into European territory as regional tensions escalate due to Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said on Saturday that the drone exploded near the Romanian border and the gas pipeline, which links Turkiye to Ukraine.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3At least 15 killed in Ukrainian and Russian strikes as holiday camp hitlist 2 of 3Romania summons Russian envoy as it shoots down third intruding dronelist 3 of 3NATO jets scramble as Russian missile detonates in Polandend of list“The drone exploded in the immediate vicinity of the Kardam border crossing with Romania,” he said in a video released by the government, noting that it was about a kilometre (0.62 miles) from the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline’s compressor station.“There were no casualties,” Radev added.Bulgaria’s Defence Ministry said an initial analysis indicated that the aircraft was most likely a Maya decoy drone, a type widely used by the Ukrainian armed forces.The ministry said there was no reason to suspect the incident was intentional.Radev said the aircraft was not a “hobby drone” but a larger one carrying what appeared to be a “significant amount of explosives”. It crashed in a sunflower field near the Kardam border crossing.The prime minister said neither Bulgaria nor neighbouring Romania had detected the drone before the blast. Bulgarian authorities have since increased surveillance and said troops would be redeployed to border areas to detect drones and employ drone countermeasures.Drone incidents raise security concerns across EuropeIn Germany, a spokesperson for the armed forces said on Saturday that two drones were spotted at about 10pm (20:00 GMT) on Thursday at a military base in Mechernich in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, 35km (22 miles) from the Belgian border.Military personnel have since been deployed there and German police are investigating, the spokesperson added.German media reported that the Bundeswehr armed forces site in Mechernich has a high-security underground storage facility for equipment and spare parts for military hardware. It is also a base for personnel responsible for the maintenance of US Patriot air defences.A drone was also discovered late on Tuesday at Leipzig/Halle Airport – a civilian freight and NATO logistics hub – near several Ukrainian Antonov An-124 cargo transporters, according to German media reports.The drone incidents across the continent have revived concerns about Moscow’s war on Ukraine entangling neighbouring NATO states.They have also intensified debate about whether strategically important members of the military alliance such as Germany are ready to cope with new security threats.German government officials have not blamed any foreign countries publicly for this week’s drone incursions, but some politicians have accused Russia, which has been at war with Ukraine since its military invasion in 2022.NATO and European Union officials have blamed Russia for previous drone sightings.Last month, after a suspected Russian drone was spotted over NATO member Romania’s airspace, the European Commission said it showed Russia’s war had “crossed yet another line”.NATO chief Mark Rutte has said Moscow’s “reckless behaviour is a danger to us all”. The US ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, has pledged that the alliance will “defend every inch” of its territory.Russia has rejected the allegations.On Friday, the Russian embassy in Berlin dismissed the discovery in Leipzig as a “fabricated provocation”, saying it was another example of accusations against Russia without evidence.