Kostadin Kostadinov has accused Kiev’s envoy of interference following a drone incident and espionage case
Bulgarian opposition leader Kostadin Kostadinov has called for Ukrainian Ambassador Olesya Ilashschuk to be expelled from the country, accusing her of interfering in domestic affairs and citing a series of security incidents involving Ukraine.
The Revival party leader said Sofia should declare Ilashschuk persona non grata after the Foreign Ministry announced it would summon her over a Ukrainian drone that crashed and exploded near a strategic gas pipeline over the weekend.
The UAV entered Bulgaria through Romanian airspace and detonated near the former Kardam border checkpoint, around one kilometer from a compressor station on the Trans-Balkan Pipeline. The Defense Ministry said the aircraft was likely a Maya decoy drone of a type used by Ukrainian forces, but noted there was no indication the incident was deliberate.
Kostadinov accused the authorities of downplaying the episode, arguing that the damage at the site was inconsistent with an unarmed reconnaissance drone. He described it as an “act of aggression” and questioned whether other Ukrainian drones had also entered Bulgarian airspace.
He also demanded that Ilashschuk be questioned over two former Ukrainian servicemen detained earlier this year on espionage charges. Revival claims the men had obtained sensitive information, including coordinates and technical details of compressor stations along the Balkan Stream gas pipeline.
Kostadinov also cited Bulgarian media reports about alleged diplomatic pressure by Ilashschuk over the case.
“She clearly does not contribute to good diplomatic relations between Ukraine and Bulgaria and there are sufficient grounds for her to be declared persona non grata,” he said.
The dispute comes as Sofia has been distancing itself from Kiev. Bulgaria’s new government halted weapons deliveries to Ukraine earlier this year and has called for negotiations to end the conflict with Russia.
The latest episode also follows several cases of Ukrainian drones straying into neighboring countries. In June, four Ukrainian naval drones exploded in and around the Romanian port of Constanta after Kiev said it had lost control of them.
Moscow has repeatedly accused Kiev of seeking to spread the conflict and provoke incidents that could draw NATO countries into direct confrontation with Russia. Russian officials have also argued that continued Western military support for Ukraine increases the risk of further escalation.
