Bulgaria's Defence Ministry on explosion near gas pipeline: likely caused by Ukrainian drone

Bulgaria's Ministry of Defence has analysed the debris of a drone that exploded near a compressor station of the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline and concluded that the UAV may have been Ukrainian.

Source: Bulgarian defence authorities' statement cited by BNT, as reported by European Pravda

Details: In particular, the ministry noted that a preliminary analysis of the debris indicates that it is most likely a Maya decoy drone.

Drones of this type are widely used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Bulgarian Defence Ministry added.

"There are currently no grounds to believe that the incident was deliberate," the ministry stressed.

Background:

• Earlier, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev stated that the drone entered Bulgarian airspace from Romania and subsequently exploded about 1,000 metres from the compressor station of the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline, near the former Kardam border checkpoint between the two countries.
• On 26 July Romania deployed a fighter jet to down a drone violating its airspace for the third time in three days.
• The first combat use of aircraft over Romania to shoot down such a drone – subsequently confirmed to have been a Shahed-type UAV – took place on 24 July.
• This was preceded by numerous incidents in which Russian drones flew into Romanian airspace and crashed, primarily in border areas over the Danube during Russian attacks targeting Ukrainian ports.

Your support on Patreon helps us keep the news free and accessible.