Drone Violating Bulgarian Airspace Explodes, Suspected to Be Ukrainian Model

Local media outlets, including the BTA news agency, reported on the 8th (local time) that an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV/drone) similar in model to those manufactured in Ukraine breached the airspace of Bulgaria in the southern Balkan Peninsula and exploded.

According to an announcement by Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev, at around 8:10 a.m. that day, a large drone entered near the Kardam checkpoint in northeastern Bulgaria, close to the Romanian border, flew about 100 meters further, and then exploded.

It was reported that the drone was carrying a substantial amount of explosives, and the blast was loud enough to be heard from a long distance away.

There were no casualties because the explosion site was a sunflower field located just about 1 kilometer away from the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline facility.

This pipeline originates in Ukraine, passes through Moldova, Romania, and Bulgaria to Turkey, and also has branch lines connecting to North Macedonia and Greece.

Prime Minister Radev stated that the drone entered Bulgaria via Romania, but neither country detected it, and NATO's Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC) in Torrejón, Spain, which monitors the skies across southern Europe, also did not obtain any relevant information.

The explanation is that it is difficult for radar to capture small drones when they fly at low altitudes.

When asked whether this incident was a deliberate attack, Prime Minister Radev replied, "At this point, we cannot confirm."

The Bulgarian Ministry of Defense announced that initial analysis of the drone wreckage indicates it is highly likely to be the "Meya," a decoy model manufactured in Ukraine.

The Meya is used to mimic the signals of attack drones to confuse enemy air defense systems and deplete surface-to-air missiles.

A drone that crashed in Samsun, Turkey, last May was suspected to be of this type.

The Bulgarian Ministry of Defense drew a line by stating that this type of drone is widely used by the Ukrainian military and that there is currently no reason to consider the incident intentional.

Bulgaria suspended its military aid to Ukraine last June.

As the intensity of airstrikes exchanged between Russia and Ukraine has recently increased, accidents involving drones crashing into neighboring countries such as Romania and Turkey have been occurring frequently.

On the 3rd, two Turkish merchant ships were attacked by drones in the Black Sea.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.