Explosive Drone Found in Bulgarian Town Amidst Rising Russia-Ukraine Tensions

 A drone carrying explosives was discovered in the Black Sea town of Tyulenovo in Bulgaria on Sunday evening, prompting the country's defense ministry to send a special unit to inspect and deactivate the device. The NATO-member nation will determine how to dispose of the drone after completing their inspection. The team was sent at the request of the regional government. Bulgaria's Defense Minister, Todor Tagarev, speculated that the drone is connected to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. He expressed concerns over the increasing security risks associated with the conflict.

However, Tagarev did not provide specific information regarding the origin of the drone or how it made its way to Bulgaria. Tyulenovo is located 70 kilometers (43 miles) south of the Romanian border and across the Black Sea from Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014 and frequently targeted by Ukrainian drone attacks. Witnesses described the drone as being between 3 and 3.5 meters long with a container of explosives attached. The area where the drone was found was cordoned off by the police, restricting public access to local restaurant terraces.

It remains unclear whether the drone fell from the air or was washed up by sea currents. In a separate incident, fragments of a suspected drone were discovered in Romania after a recent Russian attack on Ukraine's Danube ports near the border. To mitigate any potential risks, the Bulgarian army's bomb disposal team safely destroyed the device in a controlled explosion. Transporting the drone to another location with the explosives still intact was deemed unsafe. The situation highlights the ongoing tensions and security concerns in the region, as neighboring countries continue to be affected by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.