Bulgarian airspace drone blast near gas pipeline likely accidental, says Sofia

A drone crossed from Romania into Bulgarian airspace and exploded near the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline. Sofia says it was likely an accidental Ukrainian decoy drone incident and is tightening surveillance.

In Short

• Blast occurred 100 metres inside Bulgaria shortly after 5 am
• Authorities reported no casualties, building damage or pipeline disruption after explosion
• Wreckage suggests a Maya decoy drone commonly used by Ukraine

A drone crossed into Bulgarian airspace from Romania on Saturday and exploded near an international gas pipeline, with no casualties or damage reported. Bulgaria's defence ministry later said initial signs suggested it was likely a Maya decoy drone used by the Ukrainian armed forces and that the incident was probably accidental.

Prime Minister Rumen Radev said the blast took place shortly after 5 am, about 100 metres inside Bulgarian territory, and that the drone was not detected or identified while flying through either Romanian or Bulgarian airspace. Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said the incident would be raised at a meeting of the North Atlantic Council early next week.

After an emergency government meeting, Radev said, "There are no casualties or damage to buildings. The area has been cordoned off. We continue to monitor the situation." Bulgaria and Romania are both members of NATO and the European Union.

Radev said the unmanned aerial vehicle exploded around 200 metres from a Romanian compressor station and about 1 kilometre from Bulgaria's compressor station on the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline. He said, "We will continue to monitor the situation and strengthen surveillance. Following this incident, we will also redeploy border police anti-drone detection and countermeasure capabilities from the border with Turkey to the border with Romania."

Stoyanov said the drone appeared to have carried a significant amount of explosives, given the force of the blast and the column of black smoke, and added that such drones are difficult to detect because of their small size and low flight altitude. While it was initially unclear where the drone had come from or whether it was linked to Russia or Ukraine, the Bulgarian Ministry of Defence later said, "initial analysis of the wreckage indicates that it is most likely a 'Maya' decoy drone. This type of drone is widely used by the Ukrainian armed forces." The ministry added, "At this time, there is no reason to believe that the incident was intentional." Overall, the authorities said there were no casualties or damage, and monitoring of the area would continue.

With PTI Inputs

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