---
title: "Serious incident: Drone entering Bulgaria from Romania explodes in a sunflower field"
url: https://radiomoldova.md/p/82648/serious-incident-drone-entering-bulgaria-from-romania-explodes-in-a-sunflower-field
published: 2026-08-08T12:26:03Z
language: en
author: "Redacția  TRM"
section: "International"
source: radiomoldova.md
---

# Serious incident: Drone entering Bulgaria from Romania explodes in a sunflower field

> On Saturday morning, a drone crossed into Bulgarian airspace from Romania and detonated approximately 100 meters inside Bulgarian territory. Prime Minister Rumen Radev announced this following a meeting of the Security Council within the Council of Ministers, as reported by Digi24.ro, citing BTA.

![imagine simbol](https://storage.radiomoldova.md/images/a072c30b-8e4d-4161-8bf8-6f6cbb6f48cd.jpg)

*Sursa: imagine simbol*

On Saturday morning, a drone crossed into Bulgarian airspace from Romania and detonated approximately 100 meters inside Bulgarian territory. Prime Minister Rumen Radev announced this following a meeting of the Security Council within the Council of Ministers, as reported by Digi24.ro, citing BTA.

A drone entered Bulgarian airspace from the north at 8:10 a.m. on Saturday and exploded approximately 100 meters inside Bulgarian territory. The incident occurred near the former Kardam border crossing between Bulgaria and Romania and was about one kilometer from the gas compression station along the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline route, as noted by Prime Minister Radev. The drone crashed in a sunflower field.

The area has been secured and isolated, with teams from the Border Police, National Police, and the Defense Ministry dispatched to the scene. Fortunately, no casualties or damage to infrastructure have been reported.

*“The Romanian Border Police detected the sound of the drone, after which a loud explosion was heard by the Bulgarian border patrol in General Tosevo, located nearby,”* Radev explained. The explosion site was quickly identified, and authorities are working to determine the type of drone involved.

The Bulgarian prime minister emphasized that the drone had not been detected in either Romanian or Bulgarian airspace. *“We have not received any information from the Combined Air Operations Center in Torrejon, Spain, which monitors the airspace in southern Europe,”* he added.

In response to the incident, personnel and equipment from the Border Police, which are used to detect and counter drones, will be repositioned from the border with Turkey to the border with Romania, according to Agerpres.

Radev also mentioned the recent incidents involving three Shahed drones that were shot down in Romania two weeks ago. He stated that Bulgaria responded promptly and that the Ministry of Defense has enhanced radar coverage in the region.

A meeting of the North Atlantic Council is scheduled for early next week. During this meeting, Poland will share information regarding the ballistic missile incident on its territory, Romania will inform allies about the drones detected in its airspace, and Bulgaria will discuss the drone that exploded in its territory, Radev stated.

When asked whether the drone was civilian or military, the Bulgarian prime minister said there are photographic images available, but the device was so badly damaged in the explosion that its type could not yet be determined. *“It is not a toy drone; it is a larger drone,”* he said.

Radev also noted that it cannot be conclusively determined at this moment whether the incident was a deliberate attack or if the drone was carrying anything. However, he confirmed that the device contained a significant amount of explosive material, enough to produce an explosion audible from a considerable distance.

According to the prime minister, the drone was not detected in Bulgarian or Romanian airspace because such devices are difficult to track due to their small size. He explained that at low altitudes, it is challenging to ensure sufficiently dense radar coverage.

Currently, the authorities have information regarding only one drone involved in the incident.

Radev also mentioned that the procedure to acquire modern three-dimensional digital radars has been delayed for several years, but the Ministry of Defense is taking steps to expedite their delivery.