EUROPE / FOREIGN DRONE EVENTS

Controlled disposal · Bulgaria

Drone destroyed at sea by Navy at Pasha Dere, south of Varna, Bulgaria

Coastal aerial-drone recovery; individual origin unresolved

On 26 August 2026 a drone (UAV) was inspected in coastal waters at Pasha Dere, south of Varna, Bulgaria. The Bulgarian Navy destroyed it at sea.

The exact charge was not stated, and the controlled destruction does not in itself establish that the drone carried an explosive payload. No operator has been identified, and the releases reporting it gave no final identification. Associations with Russian or Ukrainian drones made for the wider group of finds do not identify this one. When the drone came down and the route it flew are unknown.

No casualties were reported.

Show on the interactive map →

Image from the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) / Defence Ministry report: Coastal UAV recovery and destruction missions, 26 August 2026, morning release
Image · Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) / Defence Ministry · Open report ↗
Image from the The Sofia Globe / Bulgarian Defence Ministry report: Tsarevo–Varvara, Kamchia, Kabakum, Pomorie and Pasha Dere cases, 25–26 August 2026
Image · The Sofia Globe / Bulgarian Defence Ministry · Open report ↗

Attribution and uncertainty

Origin / operator / attribution
Individual origin unresolved; cohort-level Russian/Ukrainian associations do not identify this object.
Investigation / uncertainty
No final individual operator identification in collected release.

Sources · 2

  1. Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) / Defence Ministry ↗Coastal UAV recovery and destruction missions, 26 August 2026, morning release
  2. The Sofia Globe / Bulgarian Defence Ministry ↗Tsarevo–Varvara, Kamchia, Kabakum, Pomorie and Pasha Dere cases, 25–26 August 2026

Full record

Controlled disposalRecovery

Controlled disposal by authorities; kept separate from incident explosions.

Map positions are approximate anchors for the named place, not verified incident coordinates.

Reported date
2026-08-26
Date basis
Discovery/response date unless described as report date; EEST
Location / jurisdiction
Pasha Dere, south of Varna; coastal water
Event categories
Coastal/sea discovery; identification; recovery or disposal
What was reported
Object inspected in the sea.
Aircraft / vessel / quantity
UAV
Origin / operator / attribution
Individual origin unresolved; cohort-level Russian/Ukrainian associations do not identify this object.
Damage / casualties / disruption
No casualties reported in cited account
Response / outcome
Navy destroyed it at sea.
Investigation / uncertainty
No final individual operator identification in collected release.
Route / entry mechanism
Found at sea/on shore; original flight route and crash date unknown
Explosive payload
Exact charge not stated
Counting / links
Separate place from Pomorie E073; controlled destruction does not itself establish explosive payload.
Research provenance
Added during export source checks; absent from the visible chronological report

Record E074. Record fields keep the register’s original wording.