Explosives expert Valentin Radev: Bulgaria was not the target of the combat drone found in Tyulenovo

Bulgaria was not the target of the combat drone with an improvised explosive device found near the coastal village of Tyulenovo, Valentin Radev, an explosives expert and former Minister of Interior told BNT programme "The Day Begins" on September 19.

"This drone, with this improvised explosive device, with this mine has accidentally fallen on our territory. The waves have brought it here. The device on the drone kills live targets within a radius of 60 metres , so this flying device is very dangerous. There was even a second munition attached to the top, improvised, made maybe by Ukrainians, maybe by Russians. The drone was sent to destroy some target 15-20 km away, but after failing it hit the sea," Bozhilov said.

Despite comments about the squad's lax approach to the drone bomb, Valentin Radev said the important thing is that the men did their job and destroyed it. And it was quite dangerous.

"It was a dangerous destruction. One was in sweats, the other was smoking - and I don't like that situation, looking at it. But the case is different. These are divers, they don't have bulletproof vests and they destroy underwater. Yes, it got a bit funny there, one of them slipped and so on, but the important thing is that people successfully destroyed this dangerous munition," he added.

Bulgarian Navy team destroyed the drone with explosive attached found near coastal village of Tyulenovo

The operation was routine for the specialists who defused the explosive device, said Yordan Bozhilov, chairman of the Sofia Security Forum and a former deputy defence minister.

"One of the functions of the Bulgarian army is precisely to defuse ammunition. There are specialised groups that are often called in to destroy ammunition. In fact, since the First World War, there has been ammunition thrown into the sea and often the sea throws it away. I suppose this is not the first time for the people who defused the drone and its ammunition," Bozhilov said.

According to the chairman of the Sofia Security Forum, it is also important for ordinary people to know how to react in such situations.

"In any case, they should not get close to such objects, they should not take selfies, they should try to anything. The other important thing is how the authorities interact. The Defence Ministry and the Ministry of Interior should work in this direction to clarify procedures and ensure people's safety," Bozhilov added.

The expert is of the opinion that the decision to destroy the drone completely, rather than to separate the munition from the body of the UAV, was taken in order not to increase the risk for the bomb squad that disarmed it. According to him, the drone is rather Ukrainian.

"Although in Ukraine both Ukrainian and Russian armies are fighting with drones of different manufacture. The purpose of the drone in any case was military - to destroy an object or servicemen. It is unlikely that it was sent against ships because larger projectiles are used for such attacks," Bozhilov said.