What Have the Authorities Found Out About the Drone That Crashed near Kardam?

Analysis of the wreckage of the drone that crashed near Kardam shows that it was manufactured in Ukraine. Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said this on the BNT's 'The Day Begins' programme on August 10. Two theories are being investigated as to how the aircraft entered Bulgarian territory. The incident prompted the Ukrainian ambassador to be summoned to the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry.

The drone that crashed near Kardam is cheap, made of wood, petrol-powered and manufactured in Ukraine, according to a preliminary report by Military Intelligence.

Dimitar Stoyanov, Defence Minister: “The drone is a decoy, a Maya-type, with dimensions of 2 by 2 metres and capable of carrying up to 5kg of explosives. It was manufactured in Ukraine. The price of such a drone is between €4,500 and $5,000. As for the direction from which it came, the distribution of the wreckage led to the conclusion that it came from Romanian territory.”*

Dimitar Stoyanov, Defence Minister: “The drone itself has a wooden structure covered with composite materials; the only metal part is the engine. This makes it difficult to detect: it emits no signal and has no reflective surface.”

The wreckage is being analysed with the aim of extracting information. The serial number of the unmanned aircraft has been preserved and passed on to Kyiv. It is also being checked whether the drone was carrying explosives.

Dimitar Stoyanov, Defence Minister: “An attempt is also being made to extract information about the trajectory of the flight itself. We suspect that we will not be able to do this, as a large part of the components of the control board have been damaged. The GPS module was found; it is not protected in any way and can be interfered with in any manner.”

“There is no crater on the ground from the detonation of an explosive device. If there was such an explosion, it occurred at a certain altitude. We are still awaiting the results of the Ministry of the Interior’s investigation."

Ivan Demerdzhiev, Minister of the Interior: “In addition to carrying out expert examinations, together with the Defence Ministry we have taken responsibility for securing the entire area. We have deployed the anti-drone systems at our disposal, so everything necessary has been done to prevent a repeat of the incident.”
There are two main theories as to how the drone entered Bulgarian territory — one is that its GPS signal was jammed, causing the aircraft to deviate from its course.

There are two main theories regarding how the drone entered our territory—one is that the GPS signal was jammed, causing the drone to veer off course.

Dimitar Stoyanov, Minister of Defence: “The second possibility is problems with the control systems. There are indications that this may have been the case, as some of the chips provide precisely this kind of information — that the chip itself is faulty and may have caused the drone to deviate from its course.”

According to the Defence Minister, Bulgaria currently does not have sufficient systems to protect against drones.

Dimitar Stoyanov, Minister of Defence: Yes, there is a need for new systems, which must be purchased as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, a very, very long time has been lost. Drone wars have been taking place around us since 2023, but no specific measures have been adopted so far.”

• Ukraine has not intentionally directed unmanned aerial vehicles toward Bulgaria

Because of the incident involving the drone, the Foreign Ministry summoned the Ukrainian ambassador. Foreign Minister, Velislava Petrova, asked Ukranian Ambassador, Olesia Ilashchuk, to provide all available information that could help fully clarify the circumstances of the case. The meeting at the Foreign Ministry lasted 30 minutes, after which the Ukrainian ambassador left through a side exit.

During the meeting, Ilashchuk expressed concern and stressed that Ukraine had not deliberately directed unmanned aerial vehicles towards Bulgaria.