Drone from Romania explodes near Trans-Balkan gas pipeline in Bulgaria

Incident near Kardam

A drone carrying a significant quantity of explosives entered Bulgarian airspace from Romania on Saturday, 8 August, at 8:10 AM, and exploded near the Kardam border crossing in northeastern Bulgaria, close to the Black Sea. The former Kardam checkpoint corresponds to the Negru Vodă customs point on the Romanian side. The blast occurred approximately 1,000 metres from the compressor station of the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline, which links Turkey to Ukraine and passes through Bulgaria. The drone fell in a sunflower field approximately 100 metres from the Romanian border. There were no casualties and no damage to buildings or infrastructure, Prime Minister Rumen Radev announced in a video released by the government on social media after an extraordinary meeting of the Security Council in Sofia.

Romanian border police recorded the drone's noise, followed by a loud explosion with black smoke noticed by a Bulgarian border police patrol stationed in General Toshevo, in the vicinity of the incident. The explosion site was identified immediately, and teams from the Border Police, the National Police, and the Ministry of Defence arrived at the scene to determine the type of drone involved. The area was isolated.

Detection failures and drone classification

Radev stated that the drone had not been detected in either Romanian or Bulgarian airspace. He also noted that no information had been received from the Combined Air Operations Centre in Torrejon, Spain, which monitors the airspace over southern Europe. Photographic material is available, but because the drone was damaged in the explosion, its exact type could not yet be determined.

It is not a recreational drone, but a larger drone.

Radev added that one thing was certain: the drone carried a significant quantity of explosives, given that it was heard from a distance and produced substantial black smoke. He expressed hope that the type would be identified soon.

As you know, the identification and neutralisation of these drones represents a major challenge.

Security response and border adjustments

Following the incident, Radev announced that border police personnel and equipment used for detecting and countering drones would be redirected from the border with Turkey to the border with Romania. He stated that the situation was still being monitored and that surveillance was being strengthened, with border guard forces and resources focused on detecting and controlling drones from the border with Turkey to the border with Romania. Radev also referenced three Shahed drones shot down in Romania two weeks earlier, assuring journalists that Bulgaria had reacted immediately and that the Ministry of Defence had reinforced radar coverage in the region.

NATO consultation and broader context

Radev said that early in the coming week, a meeting of the North Atlantic Council would take place. Poland would provide information on incidents related to ballistic missiles on its territory, Romania would inform allies about drones detected over its territory, and Bulgaria would raise the issue of the drone that exploded on Bulgarian soil. The meeting would allow each of the three countries to share information with allies about incidents affecting their territories.

Drone incidents have multiplied in recent months across Eastern European NATO member states that support Ukraine against Russia. Romania, which has faced frequent drone incursions since the large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with some drones crashing on its territory, ordered the expulsion of a Russian embassy staff member in late July.