The Bulgarian army has taken all necessary measures following the incident with the drone that entered Romanian airspace on Saturday evening, Prime Minister Rosen Jeliazkov assured.
„Measures have been taken to protect our airspace, especially in the northeastern part of the country, as part of strengthening the southeastern flank of NATO. We are closely monitoring the situation because we must ensure the safety of civilian aviation,” said the Bulgarian prime minister, quoted by the public radio station’s website.
„I believe that Russia will also be very careful and will avoid any incidents in the Black Sea, where air traffic is extremely intense,” added Rosen Jeliazkov.
The Romanian Ministry of Defense announced on Saturday evening that two F-16 aircraft were sent on a mission after a drone entered the country’s airspace during a Russian attack on Ukrainian infrastructure near the border. Defense Minister Ionuț Moșteanu stated that the fighter pilots were about to shoot down the drone, which was flying very low, before leaving the country’s airspace towards Ukraine.
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The Bulgarian government condemned the violation of Polish airspace a few days ago, considering it an „unprovoked” act. Prime Minister Jeliazkov described what happened as an absolutely unnecessary provocation that does not help calm the situation between Russia and the European Union countries on one hand, and between Russia and NATO members on the other.
„More and more arguments are being brought in favor of what unites us in the Will Coalition – that we need serious security guarantees for Europe, so that it is clear that the Union has the readiness and defense capabilities necessary to prevent any attempt at provocation and aggression,” Jeliazkov stated in a statement from the Sofia government.