Balgarianovinite.com An unidentified drone entered Bulgarian airspace from the north and exploded approximately 100 metres inside Bulgarian territory, prompting authorities to strengthen surveillance and amplify security measures along the country’s northern frontier. The incident occurred in the immediate vicinity of the former Kardam border checkpoint between Bulgaria and Romania, and about 1,000 metres from Bulgaria’s compressor station on the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline route. 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 under 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. Radev explained that such drones are difficult to detect due to their small size. “When flying at low altitude,” he said, “it is not possible to ensure sufficiently dense radar coverage.”
Asked whether the incident was a deliberate attack and whether the drone had been carrying anything, he replied that this could not be established at this stage. He added that the drone had been carrying a substantial amount of explosive material, enough to produce an explosion that could be heard from a considerable distance.
Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said at the briefing that after July 31, in response to developments in Romania and the drones shot down by the Romanian Air Force, Bulgaria stepped up surveillance of its airspace by deploying additional personnel and military assets. According to Stoyanov, airspace protection has been reinforced with additional surface-to-air missile systems, Cougar helicopters and Su-25 aircraft. Additional radar stations have also been deployed at designated radar posts.
The Dobrich Regional Administration told the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) on Saturday that no damage had been reported to critical infrastructure following the entry of a drone into Bulgarian airspace. Regional Governor Ruslan Tomov, Chief of Defence Admiral Emil Eftimov and Defence Ministry experts were at the scene of the incident. No damage was caused to the border crossing, the nearby compressor station or any other critical infrastructure. No injuries or fires were reported.
Political reactions followed after the incident was announced:
GERB said in a statement published on Facebook that Bulgaria’s security is not a subject for partisan propaganda. Bulgarian citizens deserve clear answers about what type of drone was involved, where it came from, what route it followed, and whether the incident was accidental or a deliberate act targeting the territory of a NATO member state. The party said that the incident once again highlights the need for a common European and allied anti-drone defence system along the entire eastern flank, from the Baltic to the Black Sea, with integrated surveillance, information sharing and a coordinated response. “At a time of heightened risks, Bulgaria must act calmly, professionally and together with its allies. National security requires facts, capabilities and unity, not political speculation,” GERB said.
Vazrazhdane leader Kostadin Kostadinov wrote on his Facebook page that he is waiting for details to be released regarding the drone. Kostadinov stated that the aerial vehicle was probably Ukrainian, Russian, or Iraqi, where the former was most likely, while the latter was very unlikely. The party leader called the incident unsurprising, considering “the aggressive policy that successive Bulgarian governments have been pursuing”. The MP criticized Prime Minister Radev for failing to notify parliamentary parties of the meeting of the Security Council under the Council of Ministers, after which Radev announced the incident.
Yes, Bulgaria Co-chair and Democratic Bulgaria MP Ivalyo Mirchev said in a post on Facebook that the incident near Kardam should be investigated as a potential incident targeting critical infrastructure in a NATO member state. “If a Russian link is established, the message will be difficult to misinterpret: intimidation, testing our response and an attempt to demonstrate that critical European infrastructure can be reached,” Mirchev said. “The response should not be fear. It should be greater security, stronger coordination among allies, and an even faster push to achieve energy independence for Bulgaria and the region,” he added.
In a post published on his Facebook page, Continue the Change MP and member of the parliamentary defence committee Radoslav Ribarski commented that the key question that urgently needs to be answered is whether the incident was a coincidence or an attempt to target critical infrastructure. Drone Breaches Bulgarian Airspace, Explodes near Romanian Border 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-08-08 15:00:23 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law
