Bulgarian Navy destroys drone near Shabla classified as Russian ‘Gerber-2’

Bulgarian Navy personnel examined and destroyed on site an unmanned aerial vehicle found on 6 November 2026 on the beach north of the lighthouse at Cape Shabla. The specialist team classified it as a Russian ‘Gerber-2’ model and established that it carried no explosives, the Ministry of Defence said, as quoted by 24 Chasa. Maritime publication Maritime.bg and regional outlet BurgasMedia reported the same results from the operation.

Team from Varna Naval Base examined the find

The alert from the Ministry of Interior’s duty officer was received at around 10:00. Following authorisation from the Chief of Defence and an order from the Deputy Commander of the Bulgarian Navy, the disaster response and recovery unit at Varna Naval Base was activated.

According to the official statement, the team arrived at the site, inspected the aircraft and destroyed it in a controlled operation in accordance with safety procedures. The specialists believe the aircraft probably fell into the sea and was subsequently washed ashore by waves.

Earlier, Shabla Mayor Mariyan Zhechev told Nova Television that a member of the public had found the aircraft while walking along the shore. The broadcaster also reported that Ministry of Interior personnel had cordoned off the area.

Military inspection did not confirm initial reports of a ‘Shahed’ marking

In Nova Television’s initial report, Zhechev was quoted as saying that the aircraft bore a ‘Shahed’ marking. A suspected explosive charge was also reported at the time. The subsequent military inspection reached different findings: there were no markings on the airframe, the aircraft was classified as a ‘Gerber-2’, and no explosives were found.

The initial description does not establish that this particular aircraft was of Iranian origin, and the characteristics of a ‘Shahed’ cannot automatically be attributed to it. The specialist inspection’s findings carry greater weight in assessing the condition of the find, although the basis for the technical classification has not been disclosed.

Classification does not establish the operator or route

Flank has found no independent technical confirmation of the aircraft’s model or origin. Reports on the inspection results relay the same institutional information, rather than separate expert assessments. The operator, the launch location and time, the mission and the reason for the crash have not been publicly established.

The official identification of the aircraft as a Russian model does not in itself prove who used it. Its discovery on the shore establishes neither a flight over Bulgarian territory nor a targeted attack against Bulgaria.

The operation described was a response to the discovery of an object on the beach, not an aerial interception. It involved the Ministry of Interior and a specialist Bulgarian Navy unit, but provides no basis for assessing radar surveillance or air defence.