Drone Explodes Near Bulgarian Gas Pipeline; Zelensky Warns of Winter Energy Crisis

An explosion near a gas pipeline in Bulgaria, close to the Romanian border, has triggered an investigation by Bulgarian authorities. Prime Minister Rumen Radev reported that a drone originating from Romania caused the blast near the Trans-Balkan pipeline, which connects Turkey, Ukraine, and Bulgaria. The incident occurred approximately one kilometer from a compression station for the pipeline.

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The drone exploded in the immediate vicinity of the border crossing with Romania in Kardam, near the Black Sea.

Radev assured that there were no casualties or damage to surrounding buildings. He stated that specialists from the Bulgarian army, police, and border guard are working to identify the drone. The explosion happened just 100 meters inside Bulgarian territory, near the Romanian border crossing of Kardam on the Black Sea. The Romanian border police reportedly detected the drone's sound just before the explosion, but NATO monitoring structures provided no prior warning.

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There were no casualties, nor damage to the surrounding buildings.

The area where debris fell has been cordoned off. Bulgarian sources indicated the incident would be discussed at the next North Atlantic Council meeting, alongside similar recent incidents reported by Romania and Poland, some of which have raised suspicions towards Russia. This event unfolds as Ukraine faces intensified Russian attacks. President Volodymyr Zelensky warned about the country's energy infrastructure, stating that Ukraine has "practically no intact thermal power plants left" after recent drone and ballistic missile attacks by Russia.

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The sound of the drone was detected by the Romanian border police, immediately before the roar of the explosion.