Ukrainian drone explodes near critical gas pipeline in Bulgaria – Sofia

The UAV entered the Balkan country through Romanian airspace and crashed near a strategic energy corridor, officials said A Ukrainian drone has crashed in Bulgaria, exploding near a critical gas pipeline, the country’s Defense Ministry has said.The UAV entered Bulgarian airspace from Romania at around 8:10am on Saturday and detonated near the former Kardam border checkpoint, just one kilometer from Bulgaria’s compressor station on the Trans-Balkan Pipeline. No casualties or damage were reported.The pipeline forms part of the Vertical Gas Corridor, a strategic route that transports gas across Southeastern and Central Europe, linking Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Moldova, and Ukraine.“Noise made by the drone was detected by Romanian border police, and a loud explosion was subsequently heard by the General Toshevo border police patrol,” Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said at a press conference. Radev added that the UAV flew at low altitude and carried “a significant amount of explosives.” The Bulgarian Defense Ministry later said that an initial examination of the wreckage indicated that it was likely a Maya decoy drone used by the Ukrainian military. “At the mom...