Bulgaria’s Defence Ministry: Drone that exploded in Bulgaria ‘most likely’ Maya drone used by Ukraine

The drone that crashed and exploded in Bulgaria on the morning of August 8 is “most likely” a Maya decoy drone of the type widely used by the Ukrainian armed forces, Bulgaria’s Defence Ministry told local media, reporting its findings of “initial analysis” of the remnants.

“At the moment, there is no reason to believe that the incident was intentional,” Bulgaria’s Defence Ministry said.

Earlier on August 8, Prime Minister Roumen Radev, speaking after an emergency meeting of the Cabinet security council, said that at 8.10am on Saturday morning, a drone had entered Bulgarian airspace and had exploded 100 metres within the country’s territory, near the border with Romania.

The explosion happened near Romania’s gas compressor station, 200 metres from the Kardam former checkpoint at the Bulgarian – Romanian border and 1000 metres from the compressor station of the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline.

According to Radev, the Border Police heard and saw a loud noise and black smoke, after which an explosion was heard in the General Toshevo area.

The drone fell in a sunflower field. The area has been cordoned off, there were no injuries, nor damage to buildings or infrastructure, Radev said.

Radev said that the origin of the drone was yet to be determined because the remains are quite burned. However, in any case, it is not an toy drone, because there was a large explosion, he said.

The drone had not been detected in either Romanian or Bulgarian airspace, Radev said.

“We also have no information from the Combined Air Operations centre in Torrejón, which monitors the airspace over all of Southern Europe,” he said.

Radev said that small drones are difficult to detect, especially when they fly at low altitudes.

The Ministry of Defence is already strengthening security measures in the area – mainly electronic warfare equipment, as well as anti-aircraft missile systems, Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said.

“Up to July 31, the area was guarded by MiG-29 aircraft. From 9am on July 31, as a result of what is happening in Romania, we have strengthened airspace surveillance by deploying additional forces and resources – air defence systems, Cougar helicopters and Su-25 aircraft have been transferred there. Additional radar stations have also been deployed at the relevant radar posts,” Stoyanov said.

Radev said that the issue will be discussed at the upcoming meeting of the North Atlantic Council next week, at which Poland will present details about the downed missiles and drones on its territory, Romania will brief the allies on the drone incidents, and Bulgaria will also present the current situation.

As The Sofia Globe reported earlier, parliamentary opposition groups GERB-UDF, Democratic Bulgaria and We Continue the Change have demanded answers about the drone.

Former foreign minister Nadezhda Neynski, writing on Facebook on August 8, said: “Modern national security does not begin with finding out whose drone it is after it has crashed. It begins with seeing it while it is still in the air”.

“Was it seen by our air surveillance systems? Was it tracked? And if not, where is the ‘blind spot’ in our system for countering drones? These are the questions to which society must receive a clear answer,” Neynski said.

She said that the case is indicative of the need for a common European shield against drones on the Eastern Flank – from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, with common surveillance, data exchange and a coordinated response system.

Former prime minister Kiril Petkov said: “If you’re wondering why countries like Estonia, Denmark, Germany and Latvia are signing so-called drone deals with Ukraine, the reason is simple – they want to build their own capacity to produce so-called interceptors”.

“These are drones that cost under 5000 euro and can effectively shoot down attacking drones, instead of launching many times more expensive anti-aircraft missiles or taking off fighter jets for every such threat. This is strategic thinking in the interest of national security: investing in capabilities in advance, and not after the next incident to cordon off the site of the explosion and explain to people what happened,” Petkov said.

“For such decisions, it is not enough to just talk – we need to act. Instead of investing political efforts in which Russian oligarch should be removed from the sanctions list, it is more reasonable to start cooperation with Ukraine in the field of drones and build production of such systems in Bulgaria, using their practical experience and technological solutions, proven in real combat conditions,” he said.

“If we really think about Bulgarian security, and not about Russian interests, we should follow the example of countries like Estonia and Germany. This is an investment not only in defence, but also in Bulgarian industry, technologies and capabilities,” Petkov said.

Over recent months, there have been several statements from Bulgaria’s Defence Ministry about drones found on the country’s seashore or spotted in Bulgarian waters. Depending on tactical analysis on the spot, the drones either have been destroyed by Navy specialists or removed to a naval base.

None of these statements by the Bulgarian Defence Ministry have identified the country that the drones flew from, in contrast to the recent statement by Romanian Ministry of National Defence that identified the drones that had intruded on its territory as Russian.