hw_cca53d44051e5d2c

Bulgarian Navy destroys unidentified military drone off Maslen Nos.

On 2 September 2026, a Bulgarian Navy specialist team responded to a drone discovered in Black Sea waters near Maslen Nos. The incident was one of several separate military-drone discoveries along Bulgaria’s Black Sea coastline that day. After reconnaissance, Bulgarian personnel identified the object as an unmanned aerial vehicle. The Navy destroyed it in the sea under controlled safety procedures. Bulgarian authorities did not publicly identify the specific model or operator. The same day, additional drones were discovered near Cape Kolokita, Pomorie Reef, Pomorie beach and Cape Kaliakra. The concentration followed weeks of similar military-UAV recoveries along Bulgaria’s coast. Bulgarian Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov had stated on 26 August that the drones washing ashore were primarily Russian reconnaissance and decoy systems, including Russian Gerbera and reconnaissance types, although that assessment was not made individually for the Maslen Nos aircraft. He also cautioned that many objects were being carried toward Bulgarian shores by Black Sea currents rather than necessarily flying directly through Bulgarian airspace. The Maslen Nos drone should therefore be recorded as Fitting the pattern, while avoiding a claim that a Russian UAV was independently proven to have flown through Bulgarian sovereign airspace.

Occurrence

2026-09-02

Publication

2026-09-02

First observed

2026-10-06T16:30:53.116Z

Review status

Not assessed

Countries

BG

Updated

2026-10-06T16:30:53.116Z