Ukraine denies targeting Bulgaria as drone explodes near pipeline, Kyiv promises inquiry

Ukraine has denied intentionally targeting Bulgaria after a drone entered Ukrainian airspace on Saturday and detonated near an international gas pipeline, according to the source. The incident occurred shortly after the drone crossed from Romania into Ukraine. No casualties or damage were reported. The Bulgarian defense ministry suggested the drone resembled those used by Ukrainian forces, attributing the incident to an accidental misidentification.

Both Bulgaria and Romania are NATO and EU members. The Ukrainian foreign ministry stated that Ukraine was investigating the incident but affirmed it was not a deliberate attack on Bulgaria. Heorhii Tykhyi, a Ukrainian spokesperson, said the two nations were in close contact to determine the details of the event. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev reported that the drone exploded approximately 5 a.m., about 109 yards into Bulgarian territory.

The drone was not detected or identified while traversing Romanian or Bulgarian airspace. It struck roughly 200 meters from a Romanian compressor station and around 0.6 miles from Bulgaria's compressor station on the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline. Radev mentioned that they would keep monitoring the situation and enhance surveillance.

He also announced that border police anti-drone detection and countermeasure capabilities would be moved from the Turkish border to the Romanian border following the incident. The drone seemingly carried a substantial amount of explosives, as indicated by the blast's intensity and the black smoke column, according to Stoyanov. He emphasized the challenge in detecting such drones due to their diminutive size and low altitude.

Drones unlawfully entering NATO airspace is not unprecedented since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In June, NATO fighter jets shot down a drone that entered Latvia's airspace, while Estonia and Lithuania, both neighboring Russia, reported drones crashing in their territories. Moldova and Romania, countries bordering Ukraine, have also reported separate drone crash incidents, with Russian electronic warfare cited as the likely cause.