"This morning a drone entered Bulgarian airspace from the direction of Romania and exploded on Bulgarian territory. The incident was in the immediate vicinity of the former checkpoint between Bulgaria and Romania at Kardam and not far from the compressor station of the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline. The origin of the drone is still unknown. It is critically important that the investigation establishes it as quickly as possible. But the place and the moment can hardly be considered outside the bigger picture".
This was commented on his Facebook profile by the co-chairman of "Yes, Bulgaria" Ivaylo Mirchev.
"Kardam is one of the key points of the Vertical Gas Corridor - the strategic project of Bulgaria, Greece, Romania and other partners, which should transport more and more non-Russian gas from south to north (including to Ukraine) and strengthen the energy independence of the region. And the warnings are already there", he pointed out.
"Just a few days ago, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing new US intelligence assessments, that Vladimir Putin may try to test NATO's resolve through limited actions against an Alliance country – from cyberattack to other forms of limited aggression.
Days earlier, Germany was the target of what authorities are already calling a hybrid attack by “foreign forces“: a drone with explosives and a detonator reached the strategic Leipzig/Halle airport and was found next to Ukrainian transport planes,” Mirchev said.
"The Federal Prosecutor's Office has classified the case as a serious attack on German transport and logistics infrastructure and has assigned the investigation to Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office. And according to a US intelligence assessment cited today by the Wall Street Journal, the drone is likely linked to the Russian government. Therefore, today's incident near Kardam should be investigated as a potential incident against critical infrastructure of a NATO country.
If a Russian connection is established, the message will be difficult to confuse: intimidation, testing our reactions and an attempt to show that European critical infrastructure can be reached.
This is not a show of force. Rather, it would be a sign that the Kremlin is expanding pressure beyond the battlefield - towards countries that are helping Ukraine and breaking Europe's energy dependence on Russia.
The answer should not be fear. It should be more security, more allied coordination and even faster building of the energy independence of Bulgaria and the region," commented Ivaylo Mirchev.