Drones spotted in Bulgaria and Germany raise concerns of Russian escalation

Is the war entering a new phase? A drone has exploded in Bulgaria near the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline, the latest in a surge of unidentified unmanned aerial vehicles entering European territory as regional tensions escalate due to Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said on Saturday the drone exploded near the Romanian border and the gas pipeline, which links Turkiye to Ukraine. "There were no casualties," Radev added. Separately, a spokesperson for Germany's armed forces said on Saturday that two drones were spotted at about 10pm (20:00 GMT) on Thursday at a military base in Mechernich in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, some 35km (22 miles) from the Belgian border.