Evidence

Multiple mainstream outlets — AFP (via France24), Reuters (credited photo/wire on France24), CBS News, Euronews, Al Jazeera, Japan Times, WION and Ukrainska Pravda — reported that on 8 August 2026 a drone entered Bulgarian airspace from Romania and exploded near the village of Kardam, close to a compressor station on the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev stated the explosion occurred about 1,000 metres from the compressor station, while Bulgaria's Defence Ministry said the drone was of a type 'widely used by the Ukrainian military.' No casualties or infrastructure damage were reported. Ukraine's government publicly denied targeting Bulgaria and promised an investigation into the incident. I found no dedicated fact-check from Reuters Fact Check, AFP Fact Check, Bellingcat, or EUvsDisinfo specifically adjudicating whether the drone was truly Ukrainian-origin or assessing the claim's accuracy beyond the initial news reporting.