Drone explodes in Bulgaria near Romanian border

A drone exploded near the Bulgarian village of General Toshevo, situated about 100 meters from the Romanian border, according to Bulgarian President Rumen Radev. The incident occurred on August 8, following a Security Council meeting, as reported by Bulgarian National Radio. Bulgarian border guards and border police responded to the sound of the drone and subsequently heard a powerful explosion.

The crash site was immediately secured, with various units investigating the drone's type. President Radev confirmed that there were no casualties or damage to buildings or infrastructure, noting that the drone was a larger device and not detected by either country's airspace surveillance systems. He attributed the detection failure to technical limitations, stating that Bulgaria's Defense Ministry has been awaiting modern digital 3D radar systems for years.

Following the incident, Bulgaria will increase border police personnel and equipment along its entire border to detect and counter drones. This is not the first time such incidents have occurred; Romania shot down three Shahed-type drones near its territory two weeks prior. Additional drone flights were recorded over a German military facility in July, and Lithuania's military intelligence warned of potential Russian drone strikes on critical infrastructure in the Baltic region.

Romania has also recorded repeated airspace violations by drones in recent weeks, with F-16 fighter jets intercepting and shooting down drones on multiple occasions.