Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

The drone that flew over Sofia Airport is of a military type and is used for espionage and surveillance

Border Police Director Anton Zlatanov
Photo: BTA-archive

The mysterious drone that made random maneuvers at Sofia Airport on February 7 and delayed six flights was hacked, manipulated, and was definitely not random. Large drones like the one used are military-type and are used for espionage and surveillance, Border Police Director Anton Zlatanov told public broadcaster BNT.

''A drone sold by a licensed company will not be able to fly over the airport because the area is restricted. This indicates that the drone was manipulated and that this was a deliberate action'', Anton Zlatanov said further.

The drone was apparently hacked, said Todor Ivandjikov, President of the Bulgarian Aviation Industry Association. ''In most drones, the software is programmed to include the airport as a restricted zone. This drone was apparently hacked or specially assembled, with its software allowing it to pass anywhere'', the expert commented.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Autumn weather is coming, but daytime temperatures are still high

On Thursday, the lowest temperatures will be between 8 and 13°C; in Sofia – about 8°C. During the day, there will be variable cloudiness, which will decrease to sunny weather over many regions. The wind will be moderate from the..

published on 9/17/25 7:05 PM

Parliament to vote on the fifth motion of no confidence against the Zhelyazkov cabinet on Thursday

The vote on the fifth motion of no confidence against Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov's government will take place on Thursday, September 18, at 4:45 PM, said the presiding chair of the parliamentary session, Nikoleta Kuzmanova following the end of..

published on 9/17/25 5:46 PM

The military plant in Sopot: Not only the company, but also Bulgaria is being discredited

Regarding a video published on YouTube, the management of VMZ-Sopot - the largest state-owned military enterprise in Bulgaria, say that the information presented does not correspond to the truth. The enterprise strongly objects to..

published on 9/17/25 5:15 PM