Drone debris marked 'Geran' found near Tsarevo; Bulgarian navy recovered parts
Remains of a suspected Russian attack drone have surfaced on Bulgaria's southern Black Sea coast near Tsarevo. The defense ministry confirmed a navy operation but did not name the origin.
Symbolic image · Photo: President's Office of Moldova / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Remains of a drone bearing the inscription "Geran" were found on a beach near the Arapya campsite outside Tsarevo on Bulgaria's southern Black Sea coast. Russia uses the name for attack drones based on Iran's Shahed design. Podcast host Alex Dimov published the photos on Wednesday, saying an acquaintance who wishes to remain anonymous found the parts a few days earlier. News site Mediapool said it checked the images and found no signs of AI manipulation.
The Defense Ministry told news site OFFNews that a team from the Burgas naval base recovered drone parts on Popski beach in Tsarevo on Oct. 21. "The parts were transported to the base area," the ministry said. According to the reports, it did not comment on the drone's origin or type. It was also unclear whether the recovered parts are the same as those in the photos.
Dimov called for an immediate investigation and for the findings to be made public. The discovery comes amid rising tension: on the same day, another container ship was hit by drones in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea. According to Mediapool, 28 drones or drone remains have been found in Bulgaria since the start of the year, and the navy has located or destroyed about 100 more at sea.