Drone explosion in Bulgaria: Ukrainian ambassador summoned; Kyiv denies targeting Sofia

A drone crashed and exploded in a field in Bulgaria on Monday, near the border with Romania and in close proximity to a natural gas pipeline connecting Turkey and Ukraine. Bulgarian authorities suspect Ukraine's involvement and have summoned the Ukrainian ambassador for explanations, though Kyiv denies intentionally targeting Bulgarian territory.

The Bulgarian Ministry of Defense stated that the wreckage analyzed is of a drone type "widely used by the Ukrainian armed forces." The incident occurred without casualties but has raised security concerns, particularly given the drone's proximity to critical energy infrastructure.

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We can state with certainty that the Ukrainian army did not deliberately direct any aircraft towards Bulgaria.

Bulgarian Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova summoned Ukraine's ambassador, Olesya Ilashchuk, for explanations. In response, Ukraine's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Georgiy Tsikhi, asserted that the Ukrainian military did not "deliberately" direct any aircraft toward Bulgaria. He did not officially confirm whether the drone was indeed Ukrainian but promised an investigation.

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The wreckage is of a type of unmanned aircraft that is widely used by the Ukrainian armed forces.

This event follows a pattern of increased drone incursions in Europe and heightened activity in the Black Sea region, largely attributed to the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia. Romania, a NATO member like Bulgaria, has also experienced frequent drone intrusions, including an incident in late May where a drone carrying explosives injured two people.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev noted that the drone's noise was registered by Romanian border police, followed by a "strong explosion with black smoke" observed by Bulgarian border police. He indicated that the drone likely carried a "significant amount of explosives." Neither Bulgaria nor Romania detected the drone in their respective airspace prior to the crash, according to Radev and the Romanian Ministry of Defense.

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The noise from this unmanned aircraft was registered by the border police in Romania, followed by a strong explosion with black smoke observed by a Bulgarian border police patrol, which proves that the route carried a significant amount of explosives.