Bulgaria Summons Ukraine’s Ambassador After Drone Explodes Near Key Gas Pipeline
Фото: pixabay
Ukraine’s Ambassador to Bulgaria, Olesya Ilashchuk, has been summoned to the Foreign Ministry in Sofia over the drone explosion in the country. The conversation is scheduled for August 10, and Bulgarian authorities have said they currently have no reason to believe the incident was intentional.
This is reported by Radio Liberty.
The incident occurred on the morning of August 8. According to Bulgarian authorities, the drone flew into the country from Romania and exploded in a field near the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline.
The drone fell a few hundred meters from the border and the compressor station. According to other data provided in the text, the explosion site is located approximately 1 km from the compressor station of the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline and about 200 meters from a similar facility on the Romanian side.
Based on preliminary analysis of the debris, the Bulgarian Ministry of Defense suggests that it could have been a Maya decoy drone, which is widely used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. At the same time, the department stressed that at present “there is no reason to believe that the incident was intentional.”
No one was injured as a result of the explosion, and no damage to the gas infrastructure was recorded.
The Ukrainian side stated that the Ukrainian Defense Forces did not intentionally direct any assets towards Bulgaria. Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhiy Tykhyi reported that Kyiv is in close contact with the Bulgarian side to clarify the circumstances of the incident.
“It is important to note that the root cause of all such incidents is Russia’s war against Ukraine, which has been going on for five years, is being purposefully dragged out by Moscow and threatens not only Ukrainians but also, unfortunately, other peoples and countries,” stressed Georgy Tykhyi.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said the drone entered the country’s airspace from Romania. According to him, Bulgarian and Romanian systems did not detect the device until the moment of the explosion.
Following the incident, Bulgaria has stepped up airspace surveillance and security of critical infrastructure on the border with Romania.
Recall that on Saturday, August 9, a powerful explosion occurred near the settlement of Krokmaz in the Stefan-Vodka district of Moldova, after which vegetation caught fire. At the scene, police found fragments of a combat drone; no one was injured as a result of the explosion and fire.
Also, follow “Pryamyi” on Facebook, X, Telegram, and Instagram.