Published On 8 Aug 20268 Aug 2026<\/p>\n
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\u2019s ongoing war<\/a> in Ukraine.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list<\/p>\n \u201cThe drone exploded in the immediate vicinity of the Kardam border crossing with Romania,\u201d 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\u2019s compressor station.<\/p>\n \u201cThere were no casualties,\u201d Radev added.<\/p>\n Bulgaria\u2019s Ministry of Defence said an initial analysis indicated that the aircraft was most likely a Maya decoy drone, a type widely used by the Ukrainian armed forces.<\/p>\n The ministry said there was no reason to suspect the incident was intentional.<\/p>\n Ukraine said it was working with Bulgarian authorities to clarify the circumstances.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are in close contact with the Bulgarian side to clarify the circumstances. We can say with certainty that the Ukrainian Armed Forces did not intentionally direct any assets toward Bulgaria,\u201d Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Georgiy Tykhyi said.<\/p>\n Bulgaria\u2019s foreign minister has summoned the Ukrainian ambassador over the incident, the Foreign Ministry told the AFP news agency on Saturday. The two are expected to meet on Monday.<\/p>\n Radev said the aircraft was not a \u201chobby drone\u201d but a larger one carrying what appeared to be a \u201csignificant amount of explosives\u201d. It crashed in a sunflower field near the Kardam border crossing.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Drone incidents raise security concerns across Europe<\/p>\n In 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.<\/p>\n Military personnel have since been deployed there, and German police are investigating, the spokesperson added.<\/p>\n German media reported that the Bundeswehr military 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 United States Patriot air defences.<\/p>\n A drone was also discovered late on Tuesday at Leipzig\/Halle airport \u2013 a civilian freight and NATO logistics hub \u2013 near several Ukrainian Antonov An-124 cargo transporters, according to German media reports.<\/p>\n The drone incidents across the continent have revived concerns about Moscow\u2019s war on Ukraine entangling neighbouring NATO states.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n German government officials have not blamed any foreign countries publicly for this week\u2019s drone incursions, but some politicians have accused Russia, which has been at war with Ukraine since its military invasion in 2022.<\/p>\n NATO and European Union officials have\u00a0blamed<\/a>\u00a0Russia for previous drone sightings.<\/p>\n