Ukraine responds to drone explosion near Bulgarian gas pipeline station
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry says its armed forces did not deliberately direct any assets at Bulgaria and pledges cooperation in the probe into an 8 August drone explosion, as Bulgarian officials say debris points to a Maya-type decoy drone widely used by Kyiv's forces.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said Kyiv is in close contact with Bulgarian authorities to clarify the circumstances of a drone explosion that occurred on 8 August near a compressor station of the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline.
Tykhyi stated it can be said with certainty that Ukraine's defence forces did not deliberately direct any assets toward Bulgaria. He said all circumstances and technical facts of the incident are currently being established, and that Ukraine remains fully open to cooperating with Bulgaria on the investigation.
He added that the root cause of such incidents is Russia's war against Ukraine, now in its fifth year and deliberately prolonged by Moscow, which he said threatens not only Ukrainians but other nations as well. Ending the war as quickly as possible is therefore critical for regional security, he said, adding that Ukraine counts on joint efforts with partners to compel Moscow toward peace.
Background
Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev earlier said the drone entered Bulgarian airspace from Romania and subsequently exploded about 1,000 metres from the Trans-Balkan pipeline's compressor station, near the former Kardam border checkpoint between the two countries.
Bulgaria's Ministry of Defence later said a preliminary analysis of the debris indicated it was most likely a Maya-type decoy drone, a model widely used by Ukraine's armed forces.
