International08 August 2026

Bulgaria's Radev says drone exploded in Bulgaria's airspace

A drone entered Bulgarian airspace from Romania's ​airspace on Saturday and exploded near the village ‌of Kardam, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said in a statement, adding that there were no casualties or infrastructure damage.
The drone entered ​Bulgarian airspace at 0810 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) ​and went off in a sunflower field near ⁠the border with Romania, he said.
The explosion site is ​1,000 meters (3,281 ft) from Bulgaria's compressor station of the Trans-Balkan ​gas pipeline, which stretches from Turkey to Ukraine, and 200 metres from Romania's compressor station.
Drone incursions that western governments have linked to ​the Russia-Ukraine war have increased in frequency and raised anxiety ​that members of the NATO alliance need to bolster their defences against security ‌threats.
Radev ⁠said the security of strategic sites in the country and surveillance along the Bulgaria-Romania border would be increased.
He also said the area of the explosion had been cordoned ​off and the ​exact type ⁠of drone will be determined after the site and the drone's remains are examined.
The ​unmanned aerial vehicle was not detected earlier in ​Bulgarian ⁠or in Romanian airspace, which confirms that the detection and identification of drones remains a challenge, Radev said. He also ⁠noted ​a delay in the delivery of ​high-precision radars to the Bulgarian army and promised action.

-Reuters
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