Bulgarian Navy Recovers Drone Debris Along Black Sea Coast

The Bulgarian Navy responded to three reports of potentially hazardous objects along Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, recovering a reconnaissance drone, drone components and an object identified as a rocket motor. Specialized teams transported the recovered material to naval bases in Varna and Burgas under established safety procedures. 

A team from Naval Base Varna investigated a floating object approximately 50 meters from shore near Tyulenovo in Dobrich Province. The Navy identified the object as a rocket motor and removed it from the area. 

Separately, personnel from Naval Base Burgas inspected an unmanned aerial vehicle that had washed ashore on a beach at Primorsko in Burgas Province. The Navy classified the aircraft as a reconnaissance drone. 

Another Burgas-based team responded to drone components discovered on a beach near Lozenets. The Navy transported the recovered objects from the three incidents to its facilities in Varna and Burgas to protect navigation and people using Bulgaria’s coastline. 

The August incidents continue a pattern of unmanned aircraft and military debris reaching the western Black Sea coast. On July 21, the Mine Countermeasures Black Sea Task Group destroyed a damaged drone found drifting 21 nautical miles east of Ahtopol after an inspection could not rule out explosive material inside its fuselage. The multinational formation secured the area and diverted passing vessels before the object was destroyed. 

Bulgarian forces have handled similar cases throughout 2026. In May, the Navy recovered a reconnaissance drone from a beach at Byala, while another object containing approximately 200 to 300 grams of explosive material was destroyed near the Elenite resort. 

The incidents come as Bulgaria, Romania and Türkiye broaden regional maritime-security activity in the Black Sea. The three NATO members agreed in July to expand the Mine Countermeasures Black Sea Task Group mission beyond the drifting-mine threat to include protection of critical undersea infrastructure. 

The repeated recovery of unmanned systems and military debris places coastal explosive-ordnance response alongside mine countermeasures as a continuing requirement for Bulgaria’s naval forces. The origin of the objects recovered near Tyulenovo, Primorsko and Lozenets was not identified in the available official reporting.