site.btaBorder Police Chief Zlatanov: Border Police Deploys 34 Drones to Monitor Bulgarian-Turkish Smart Border

A total of 34 unmanned aerial vehicles will be deployed to protect the State border, head of the Border Police General Directorate Anton Zlatanov said on Monday.

Zlatanov explained that these drones feature excellent capabilities, can fly up to 8 km, remain in flight for 45 minutes, and each is equipped with three sets of batteries. He noted that the new systems were purchased entirely with European funds.

Zlatanov said the drones will strengthen border security, which is the EU's external boundary. He also mentioned plans to buy larger drones and noted that maritime unmanned vehicles were acquired last year and confirmed that there is trained staff ready to use the new technology.

Zlatanov said that the process of acquiring an anti-drone system is underway and is expected to be completed within two years. At the same time, video surveillance will be installed along the remaining 100 km of the Bulgarian-Turkish border, which currently is protected only by a fence. He mentioned that by the end of 2026, Bulgaria will have a smart border covering the entire 271 km shared with its southern neighbour.

Zlatanov also addressed the issue of migrant pressure along the Bulgarian-Turkish border over the past year, saying it has been brought under control. It cannot be fully stopped, but it has dropped significantly, Zlatanov said. Migrant pressure is expected to increase during the summer, but Border Police is ready to respond, he added.

He said migrant pressure in 2024 is 70% lower than in 2023, while in the first four months of this year it is down 60% compared to the same period last year. Cooperation with Turkish authorities is excellent, with two parallel operations underway on each side of the border and this combined approach has led to the current situation. For example, there were nine attempts to cross the border in the past 24 hours compared to 270 on the same date last year, Zlatanov said.

Zlatanov attended the Centre for Specialization and Professional Training at the Interior Ministry Academy for a ceremony marking the handover of unmanned aerial monitoring systems for State border surveillance and the start of professional training for 390 future border officers.