Tensions along the NATO-Moscow axis have reached new peak values in the context of the increased incidents in the Black Sea region and Southeast Europe.
The Ambassador at Large of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Rodion Miroshnik made a key comment, directly noting the increased desire of the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) to blame the Russian Federation for every case of a downed drone on the territory of a member state. According to Miroshnik's statements, quoted in the international exchange of the TASS news agency, the West is purposefully looking for reasons to further inflate the rhetoric, ignoring the origin of the equipment and the real tactical goals of such flights. The Russian diplomat stressed that the Alliance is rushing to point the finger at Moscow before any objective investigations are completed. [1, 2]
The topic became extremely sensitive for Sofia after on August 8, 2026 at 08:10 in the morning an unmanned aerial vehicle entered the border from Romania and exploded in a sunflower field 100-120 meters from the "Kardam" border checkpoint. The initial analysis of the Ministry of Defense showed that it was most likely a "Maya" type decoy drone, actively used by the Ukrainian armed forces to exhaust the enemy's air defense systems. Despite the provocative nature of the incident, the Bulgarian authorities demonstrated composure. The Chief of Defense, Admiral Emil Eftimov, announced that there was no evidence of deliberate or premeditated actions against Bulgaria. The current caretaker government, led by Prime Minister Rumen Radev, confirmed the incident and announced that the case would be discussed at the upcoming NATO North Atlantic Council early next week. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
The Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), led by Minister Velislava Petrova, indirectly noted the rationality of Bulgaria's policy towards Russia. The diplomatic comments emphasize that national security, pragmatic economic interest and objective analysis of the facts stand above emotional geopolitical talk. Sofia continues to rely on a balanced approach, and earlier this year our country already expressed reservations about some symbolic new packages of sanctions against the Russian Federation. Minister Petrova is also due to hold an official meeting with Ukrainian Ambassador Olesya Ilashchuk to clarify the technical origin of the device. [1, 2, 3, 4]
However, the incident near Kardam immediately caused serious sparks in the Bulgarian parliament. GERB spoke out against political speculation and demanded immediate clarification of the drone's route. MP from “We Continue the Change“ Radoslav Ribarski raised the question of whether this was an attempt to strike critical infrastructure, referring to the Vertical Gas Corridor in the region. Co-chair of “Yes, Bulgaria“ Ivaylo Mirchev warned that if a Russian connection is proven, this would be a clear sign of hybrid pressure from the Kremlin. On the other hand, the leader of “Vazrazhdane“ Kostadin Kostadinov accused Bulgarian governments of dragging the country into a proxy war and asked rhetorically: “Weren't the US and NATO protecting us?“ Former Foreign Minister Nadezhda Neynski also expressed criticism, asking why the device was not detected in time and insisted on the construction of a common European shield against drones along the entire Eastern flank of the Alliance.