The search for the missing MiG-29 fighter jet and pilot Valentin Terziev continues. The operation covers an area of ​​20 nautical miles in the Black Sea, where the international military exercise "Shabla-2021" was held. Whatever happened, it was sudden, Minister of Defense Georgi Panayotov has told BNT.

"The pilot did not report about any problems. He did not report about a need for ejecting; he did not expect what happened and we are trying to find out what caused the incident. I'm afraid this would take a long time. The pilot of another plane that launched a target saw it successfully hit. The aircraft lifespan was to continue until 2029 and the machine was in good technical condition," the minister added.