Bulgaria still awaits answers on Black Sea drone strikes as NATO aid looms

Bulgaria is still waiting to learn who sent drones that struck vessels in and near its territorial waters in the Black Sea, President Rumen Radev's office said, as the defence ministry pressed NATO allies for help defending the coast, according to NOVA News.

Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said partner aircraft from NATO would soon have a presence over Bulgaria and the Black Sea, speaking on Bulgarian National Television. He said Bulgaria had requested fighter jets, anti-aircraft missile systems, anti-drone systems and air patrols from allies in letters sent in August and October, with a response expected within days.

Inspections continue aboard the damaged vessel Chelsea 3, towed to Burgas after being struck, Stoyanov said. He said investigators have not yet determined whether the drones involved were Russian, Ukrainian or from another country, and that a military prosecutor's office has opened a pre-trial investigation with military police taking part.

Stoyanov said a European Council conclusion did not attribute the drone strikes to Russia specifically, cautioning against taking that document out of context, since it addressed Russia's wider war against Ukraine rather than the recent incidents in Bulgarian and Romanian waters. He said that if investigators conclude a drone was Russian, Bulgaria's next diplomatic step would likely be a formal protest note to Russia's ambassador.

Romanian forces shot down three drones over the past two days, Stoyanov said, adding that Bulgaria has reinforced its radio-communication monitoring, strengthened its anti-aircraft missile systems and kept its air force on standby. He said Bulgaria will notify NATO by the end of October that it wants to join the alliance's programme against low-flying drones.

Stoyanov said Bulgaria needs fighter jets and systems to counter drones with kinetic force, but that defence spending must be carefully targeted, and rejected calls to reintroduce mandatory military service, saying only a voluntary reserve training scheme is planned.