Shabla mayor reports device marked ‘Shahed’ found on shore

A member of the public found an unmanned device marked ‘Shahed’ on the beach in front of the Shabla anti-aircraft firing range, Mayor Mariyan Zhechev said on 6 November 2026, as quoted by NOVA. The information comes from a single source: the mayor. His statement was also covered by Club Z and DarikNews.bg. Flank had found no independent confirmation at the time of publication. This is a developing story and further information may be added.

Military notified, inspection by bomb disposal specialists expected

Zhechev said the member of the public came across the device while walking along the shore. According to the statement carried by NOVA, the military has been notified and bomb disposal specialists are expected to render it safe later the same day.

The news website DarikNews.bg suggested that the sea had washed the device ashore and that it might contain an explosive charge. These are suppositions, not findings from a technical inspection. There has so far been no statement from the responsible military authorities on the presence or condition of a charge, or on whether the device has been rendered safe. These are the key questions in assessing the immediate risk to people along the coast.

Context does not establish the device’s model or origin

Club Z places the discovery in the context of Russia’s use of Shahed-136 drones against Ukraine and its production of Russian versions of the device originally developed in Iran. That context, however, does not identify the device found near Shabla.

Identification requires the structure, markings and components to be examined together. Finding a device on the shore does not establish whether it passed through Bulgarian airspace, and its proximity to the firing range does not prove that the military site was a target. There is currently no basis for linking the discovery to a specific strike or drawing conclusions about the actions of Bulgaria’s air defences.