On August 8, Ukraine denied targeting Bulgaria after a drone (UAV) exploded near the strategic cross- Balkan gas pipeline connecting Turkey with Ukraine in the area near the Bulgaria-Romania border.
The Bulgarian Ministry of Defense said that the drone in the incident is of the type "widely used by the Ukrainian army". The Bulgarian Foreign Minister summoned the Ukrainian ambassador to meet on August 10 to respond to the incident, according to the minister's office.
Ukraine said it is "closely contacting Bulgaria to clarify the context" of the incident. "We can affirm with certainty that the Ukrainian Armed Forces did not intentionally direct any vehicles towards Bulgaria" - Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi emphasized.
Although the explosion did not cause casualties, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said that the amount of explosives that this UAV carried was "significant".
The drone exploded right near the Kardam border gate with Romania" near the Black Sea, "1,000m away from the gas compression station of the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline," Prime Minister Rumen Radev noted.
After analyzing the debris from the accident, the Bulgarian Ministry of Defense pointed out, "currently, there is no evidence that this was an intentional incident". The drone finally crashed into a sunflower field, Mr. Radev added.
Romanian border police recorded the sound of a drone, after which a Bulgarian border police patrol team discovered "a loud explosion accompanied by black smoke".
One thing is certain is that the drone carries a large amount of explosives, because it can be heard from afar and create such black smoke" - the Bulgarian Prime Minister pointed out.
Cases related to drones are becoming more frequent in recent months in Eastern European countries that are NATO members and support Ukraine in the context of conflict. In June 2026, Bulgaria stopped military aid to Ukraine.
Romania has recorded frequent drone intrusions since the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out in 2022. The country ordered the deportation of a Russian Embassy employee at the end of July.
Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey all border the Black Sea, a hotspot for drone strikes between Ukraine and Russia.
On August 4, Turkish officials said that a drone attack on August 3 targeted 2 civilian ships in the Black Sea, injuring the crew. The Turkish Foreign Ministry is "extremely concerned about the escalating conflict" in this sea area.
Further west, a spokesman for the German Military Operations Command told AFP on August 8 that this week, a drone was detected on a military facility in western Germany, which is a large underground storage area. The Mechernich Special Area is where many weapons are stored, including components of the US-made Patriot air defense system.
The UAV discoveries took place a few days after an explosives-carrying drone was found near a Ukrainian cargo plane at Leipzig-Halle airport, which plays an important role in the transportation of military goods of the German army and NATO allies.
