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A drone that entered Bulgaria from Romania exploded Saturday near the border between the two countries and close to the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said.
Radev said the drone entered Bulgarian airspace at 8:10 a.m. local time and exploded shortly after crossing the border from Romania.
"The drone exploded in the immediate vicinity of the Kardam border crossing with Romania," Radev said in a video released by the government on social media.
He said the blast occurred near the Black Sea in northeastern Bulgaria, about 1,000 meters from Bulgaria's compressor station on the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline, which links Türkiye to Ukraine.
"There are no casualties or damage to buildings. The area has been cordoned off. We continue to monitor the situation," Radev said.
Radev made the announcement after convening an emergency meeting of the Security Council at the Council of Ministers.
The meeting brought together the ministers of interior, foreign affairs, defense and finance, as well as Bulgaria's chief of defense and the heads of the country's security and intelligence services, according to Bulgarian news agency BGNES.
Radev said the drone exploded about 100 meters inside Bulgarian territory after approaching from Romania.
He said the site was close to critical energy infrastructure, around 200 meters from a Romanian compressor station, 200 meters from the former Kardam border checkpoint between Bulgaria and Romania, and about 1 kilometer from Bulgaria's compressor station on the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline.
"The sound of the drone was detected by the Romanian Border Police, and a loud explosion was subsequently heard by the Bulgarian Border Police patrol stationed in the General Toshevo area," Radev said.
"The site of the explosion was immediately identified. Teams from the Border Police, National Police and Ministry of Defence are currently there and are working to determine the type of drone," he added.
Radev said the drone was not detected or identified while flying through either Romanian or Bulgarian airspace.
"As you know, detecting and countering these drones is a major challenge," he said.
"We have also received no information from NATO's Combined Air Operations Centre in Torrejon, which monitors the airspace over Southern Europe," he added.
Radev said Romanian Air Force units had shot down three Shahed-type drones over Romania two weeks earlier.
Following those incidents, Bulgaria's Defense Ministry strengthened radar coverage and surveillance in the region and redeployed forces and equipment capable of countering low-flying, slow-moving aerial targets, he said.
"We will continue to monitor the situation and strengthen surveillance," Radev said.
"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," he added.
Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said Bulgaria's airspace had been protected under its standard arrangement involving MiG-29 fighter aircraft and surface-to-air missile systems until July 31.
"From 9 a.m. on July 31, in response to the developments in Romania and the drones shot down by the Romanian Air Force, we strengthened both airspace surveillance and air defense by deploying additional forces and equipment, including surface-to-air missile systems, Cougar helicopters and Su-25 aircraft," Stoyanov said.
He said radar coverage had also been reinforced with additional radar stations and that measures had been introduced to strengthen surveillance and security around strategic facilities.
Stoyanov said the incident would be raised at a meeting of the North Atlantic Council early next week.
"Poland will provide information on the case involving ballistic missiles over its territory and the debris recovered there. Romania will provide information on the drones shot down over its territory.
Bulgaria will also present information and raise the issue of this drone, which exploded on Bulgarian territory, once again, just 100 meters from the Romanian border," he said.
Bulgarian authorities are examining the wreckage to establish what type of drone was involved.
"But this was not a toy drone. It was a larger aircraft," Stoyanov said.
"According to the border officers who were in the area, there was a loud explosion followed by black smoke. It came down in a sunflower field, and I hope we will soon determine exactly what type it was," he added.
Stoyanov said Bulgaria's State Agency for National Security had instructed all relevant institutions to strengthen security at strategic sites.
Anti-drone systems have been activated wherever such capabilities are available, he said.
According to Stoyanov, the drone appears to have carried a significant amount of explosives, given the strength of the blast and the column of black smoke.
He said such drones are difficult to detect because of their small size and low flight altitude.
"It is impossible to provide radar coverage dense enough to guarantee the detection of every small, low-flying aerial target. This is a challenge," Stoyanov said.
"As you know, the procurement of modern digital three-dimensional radars has been delayed for years. The Defense Ministry is doing everything possible to accelerate their delivery, but we will still have to wait," he added.
Romania, which has faced frequent drone incursions since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, ordered the expulsion of a Russian embassy staff member in late July.
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