A Bulgarian Air Force MiG-29 crashed into the Black Sea while taking part in the Shabla 21 training exercise on June 9, 2021.

“A MiG-29 aircraft of the Bulgarian Air Force lost radio communication and disappeared from the radars at 00:45,” reported the Bulgarian Ministry of Defence in a statement. 

A search and rescue operation was launched and is still ongoing at the time this article is published. 

The pilot’s life jacket was retrieved. The incumbent Defense Minister Georgi Panayotov told Bulgarian National Radio it was not known whether the pilot ejected. 

Shabla 2021 is a live firing exercise that involves the Bulgarian Air Force, as well as aircraft of the Serbian and United States Air Force. Following the incident, it was suspended.