A drone intruded in Bulgaria and exploded near the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline

This morning at 8:10 a.m., a drone entered Bulgarian airspace near the border with Romania at Kardam. This was announced by Prime Minister Rumen Radev after a meeting of the Security Council under the Council of Ministers.

The drone exploded 100 meters inside the Bulgarian border coming from the direction of Romania. “This happened in the immediate vicinity of the Romanian compressor station, 200 meters from Kardam, and 1,000 meters from our compressor station on the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline,” Radev said.

“Noise from this drone was registered by the Border Police in Romania, and then a loud explosion was heard by the border police unit ‘General Toshevo,’ which is in this area. The site of the drone’s explosion was identified immediately. At present, units from the Border Police, the National Police, and the Ministry of Defence are there determining the type of the drone. The area has been sealed off. There is no damage to people, buildings, or infrastructure,” the Prime Minister added.

The drone was not detected or identified either in Romanian or Bulgarian airspace. “We also have no information from the Combined Air Operations Centre in Torrejón, which monitors the airspace of all of Southern Europe,” Radev explained. According to him, after three Shahed-type drones were recently shot down in Romania, the authorities strengthened radar coverage and surveillance capabilities in this region. “We continue to monitor the situation and reinforce surveillance, and after this incident we will also redeploy Border Police forces and assets for detecting and countering drones from the border with Turkey to the border with Romania,” the Prime Minister said.

Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov added that until 31 July the country’s airspace was protected under the traditional scheme with MiG-29 aircraft and surface-to-air missile systems. “From 9:00 a.m. on 31 July, as a result of what was happening in Romania and the drones shot down by the Romanian Air Force, we reinforced airspace surveillance as well as airspace protection by deploying additional forces and assets: surface-to-air missile systems, a surface-to-air missile complex, Cougar helicopters, and Su-25 aircraft. The radar field has been strengthened with additional radar stations at the respective radar posts. Measures have also been taken to intensify surveillance, vigilance, and the protection of strategic sites,” Stoyanov explained.

According to Radev, at the North Atlantic Council next week Poland will present information on the case of ballistic missiles over its territory and their remnants; Romania will provide information on the drones shot down over its territory; and Bulgaria will raise the issue of “the incident with this drone that exploded on Bulgarian territory.”

Authorities are currently examining the drone to establish its exact type. “But it is not a toy drone. This is a larger drone. According to the border officers who were in the area, a strong explosion with black smoke was heard; it fell in a sunflower field, and I hope we will soon find out the type,” the Prime Minister replied to journalists’ questions.

In his words, “one thing is certain – the drone carried a solid quantity of explosives, enough to be heard from a distance and to produce this black smoke.”

Asked why it was not detected, Radev explained that “these drones are difficult to detect because of their small size, and also – when they fly at low altitude it is not possible to ensure the density of radar coverage needed to guarantee detection of low-flying, small-sized aerial targets. This is a challenge.”

Voice from the opposition

“Today’s incident near Kardam must be investigated as a potential incident against critical infrastructure of a NATO country. If a Russian connection is established, the message will be hard to misread: intimidation, testing of our reactions, and an attempt to show that European critical infrastructure can be reached,” commented on Facebook Democratic Bulgaria co-chair Ivaylo Mirchev. In his words, “this is not a demonstration of strength. Rather, it would be a sign that the Kremlin is expanding pressure beyond the battlefield – towards the countries that are helping Ukraine and interrupting Europe’s energy dependence on Russia.” He believes the response should not be fear. “It should be more security, more allied coordination, and even faster building of Bulgaria’s and the region’s energy independence,” Mirchev wrote.

Following the publication of this article, the Ministry of Defense stated that 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. At the moment, there is no reason to believe that the incident was intentional, the ministry said.

Caption: Videograb from the briefing at the Council of Ministers on 8 August 2026.