Eastern Balkans in June 2026: the most important developments in security
In June 2026 the security picture in the Eastern Balkans was dominated by Romania and the war in Ukraine. On 5 June a Ukrainian sea drone that had lost control exploded in a Romanian port, and further maritime drones and a stray mine were found on the Romanian Black Sea coast during the month. Romania's army said at the end of June that a drone found by a local resident near the Danube Delta had entered the country back in April.
Bulgaria's new government said on 9 June that it would stop supplying weapons to Ukraine. On 19 June Bulgaria rejected a U.S. request to keep military aircraft stationed in Sofia until the end of July.
Romania's Defense Council approved on 30 June the deployment of more than 5,300 military personnel on overseas missions in 2027. Romania also acquired Israeli SPYDER mobile air defense systems worth EUR 2 billion, and a Romanian citizen was arrested in Germany over an alleged plot targeting Romania. On the same day a false hijacking alarm led Israeli fighter jets to be scrambled, and the flight landed safely in Bulgaria.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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