Johanna Deimel, a regional expert who sits on the board of the Southeast Europe Association (SOG), underscores the complexity of Bulgaria's decision at a time when there are strong pro-Russian forces in the country. Two days later, Brussels implemented those measures. Was the whole debate a diversion tactic. Speaking to the Bulgarian television channelNova, he described the terrible state of facilitiesat Avionams and Terem, which are the companiesthat would be responsible for such repairs. Ko University Following the Russian aggression against Ukraine, it was generally questioned whether Bulgaria really supports Ukraine, but recent developments have solidified the country's pro-Ukrainian stance, which will please younger Bulgarians. Russia loses Bulgarian supporters due to Ukraine war The same position was followed by the then Minister . Privacy Policy and A total of 148 lawmakers from the 240-seat parliament voted to send the aid on Friday, with the Socialists and the pro-Russian Revival party voting against. 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The relevant decision by the Bulgarian parliament not to supply arms to Ukraine was adhered to, he said. "Secondly, there is significant pressure from Bulgaria's partners in the European Union within NATO to create a parliamentary majority and normal functional government, because there are many issues that Bulgaria has to address separately and together with its allies in the context of present-day European and world developments," Minchev said. "Too much hostility has accumulated in the last year to the point that it has been the official political strategy to deny any possibility of future cooperation," Hristo Panchugov, assistant professor at New Bulgarian University, told VOA. Petkov has made it clear that Bulgaria does not plan to send military aid to Ukraine, but he said the country would continue to send humanitarian assistance. He said that it was very unfortunate that a leader (Putin) was sitting somewhere safe at a long table, and because of his horrific decisions, young soldiers on both sides are now dying. In an earlier interview with VOA, Petkov called on EU leaders to introduce the toughest sanctions against Russia in the early days of the full-force invasion and also emphasized his pro-European position at the polls. SOFIA, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Bulgaria will send humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine, joining a group of 25 donor countries from NATO and the European Union, the government said in a. Bulgaria has the potential to contribute to an increase in European military aid to Ukraine by increasing production. For editorial, advertising and general inquiries, please e-mail [emailprotected]. So, we will see another six months of the same, not only regarding the policy towards Ukraine in the war that is going on there, but also in foreign policy, defense policy, rearmament and modernizing of the Bulgarian army," Assenova said. On April 19, shortly before a visit to Kyiv by Petkov, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba traveled to Sofia, as a new and uncertain phase of the war began. Formations of all types of armed forces and commands are carrying out events to raise situational awareness, to make informed decisions, Evtimov said. History Flags of NATO, Bulgaria, European Union at the Military club of Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Bei der Nutzung unserer Websites und Apps verwenden wir, unsere Websites und Apps fr Sie bereitzustellen, Nutzer zu authentifizieren, Sicherheitsmanahmen anzuwenden und Spam und Missbrauch zu verhindern, und, Ihre Nutzung unserer Websites und Apps zu messen, personalisierte Werbung und Inhalte auf der Grundlage von Interessenprofilen anzuzeigen, die Effektivitt von personalisierten Anzeigen und Inhalten zu messen, sowie, unsere Produkte und Dienstleistungen zu entwickeln und zu verbessern. Bozhilov said he planned to discuss which sort of equipment could be repaired in Bulgaria. Ukraine: What's the worst-case scenario for Zaporizhzhia? That's the question that almost toppled the relatively new Bulgarian coalition government recently. Petkovs government was toppled in a parliamentary vote of no confidence over the summer. It guarantees the opportunity for all Ukrainian citizens to enter the territory of Bulgaria only with their biometric passports and to stay for up to 90 days. This bipolar situation created a major divide in Bulgarian politics and the Bulgarian society. Bulgaria immigration and travel requirements for refugees from Ukraine Bulgaria's former government quietly supplied Ukraine with weapons soon after Russia invaded last year, according to an investigation by the German daily Die Welt. At the same time, Finance Minister Vassilev attended a meeting of EU finance ministers in Paris. Petkov now explains why the U.S. was willing to go along with this. The letter Z, a symbol of support for Putin's war in Ukraine, has appeared on Bulgarian government buildings in Sofia. Tagarev noted that the European initiative has several areas: the actual transfer of ammunition, replenishing the stocks of countries that give Ukraine their ammunition from storage, and expanding production capacity. On one side, a former ally and a former overlord during Cold War, and on the other side, a country that was being invaded and being supported by the Western hemisphere. It did not escape the Kremlins attention that Bulgaria, under Petkov and Vassilev, was making massive efforts on behalf of Ukraine. to support Ukraine and introduce tough sanctions against the Kremlin regime. Petkov said that the humanitarian aid that Bulgaria would send to Ukraine would include clothes, shoes, tents, sheets, blankets to make sure that Ukrainian citizens feel the support of our country. Screen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. After the Bulgarian government -which was mostly formed by the centrists- started to supportUkraine, they threatened to leave the coalition which will probably result in a fall of the government unless the government stops supporting Ukraine and acting against Russia (Todorov, 2022). Foreign Minister Teodora Genchovska said that about 50 Bulgarians were stranded in Moscow because of Bulgaria closing its air space to Russian aircraft and Russias reciprocal closure of its air space to Bulgarian air carriers. The Bulgarian government cannot keep its eyes closed when we see civilians at such great risk in this fratricidal war, Petkov said. But Petkov and Vassilev, now opposition politicians seeking a path back to power in expected upcoming elections, have broken their silence on the true scale of Bulgarias role last spring. "To avoid official arms deliveries, ammunition and armaments entered Ukraine indirectly. Ukraine Invasion Rekindles Divisions Over Russia in Bulgaria The Bulgarian Socialist Party, or BSP, is traditionally friendly towards Russia and since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 this year, itthreatened to leave the country's coalition government if Sofia were to send weapons to Ukraine. According to speculation in the local media, this doesn't involve heavy weaponslike tanks or planes. The aid is fully in line with Ukraine's priorities, but we are not sending S-300 systems, nor MIG-29 or SU-25 aircraft," Stoyanov told Nova TV on Friday. Thats what the Russians did in Bulgaria after World War II, they murdered thousands of dissenters, professors and priests, Vassilev said. The government in Sofia officially asked the EU Commission in November for permission to export diesel refined from Russian oil to destinations including Ukraine. Bulgarian President Didn't Sign Document Backing Ukraine Because Of Bulgaria, where some are pro-Russian, divided after gas cutoff Instead, partners from Poland, Romania, the US and England bought the weapons from Bulgarian industry, he said. Vassilev said he encouraged Lukoil in Bulgaria to export surplus oil to Ukraine. Which Countries Border Ukraine? - WorldAtlas These nations won't criticise Russia's invasion and won't support Ukraine. Recently, Bulgaria's Deputy DefenseMinister Yordan Bozhilov announced on the state television channel BNT that Ukrainian specialists would be arriving in Bulgaria soon. European and NATO-member states are supplying weapons to Ukraine, albeit in a roundabout way. This decision had been taken under pressure from the public and the Socialists, which had otherwise threatened to leave the coalition. It is no coincidence that European Commissioner Thierry Breton, during his tour of Eastern European defence companies, first came to Bulgaria," Todor Tagarev said. This will boost Moscow's influence in Bulgaria and potentially increase calls for a peace settlement of Russia's war against Ukraine, favoring the Kremlin-desired partition of Ukraine.". Foreign relations of Bulgaria - Wikipedia Kuleba told WELT his country was in danger of running out of ammunition last April. Bulgaria secretly supplied Ukraine fuel and ammunition in early months of war Former PM tells of crucial operation, which was launched covertly due to pro-Russia sympathies in political class. legal support or donations. "This is how Bulgaria will continue to sell weapons to Ukraine," Angel Naydenov, a former Bulgarian defense minister, told state broadcasterBTV on Saturday. I think that is exemplary. Notably not present in the video address was Defence Minister Stefan Yanev, who has stirred controversy by opposing terming what is happening in Ukraine as a war. As expected, the older generations and rural population are closer to Russia while the younger and urban population is in favor of Europe and Ukraine. Despite their similar political positions, forming a coalition between two political forces is not a given, experts say. Bulgarian Defence Minister explains how Sofia might help EU step up POLITICOs must-read briefing on whats driving the day in Brussels, by Jakob Hanke Vela. Martin Koth of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation sees a growing danger that Bulgarian democracy could be infiltrated by systematic Russian disinformation. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Source: Todor Tagarev, the new Bulgarian Defence Minister, in an interview with Ukrainian news agency Hlavkom, as reported by European Pravda Details: He was asked to comment on the format of Bulgaria's participation in the EU initiative on ammunition for Ukraine, as Bulgarian . Bulgarian lawmakers give government month to devise Ukraine military Only recently has the game of hide-and-seek come to an end. Just as sensitively, the diesel that Bulgaria supplied to Ukraine was processed from Russian crude oil at a Black Sea refinery, which at the time belonged to the Russian company Lukoil. Bulgaria itself needs about half of the fuel the refinery produces; the rest, he says, has been shipped to Ukraine. Revival, with 14% of the votes, is in third place, ahead of DPS, receiving nearly 14% of voter support. Bulgaria will send humanitarian, military aid to Ukraine Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the worlds largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. "We've been maintaining old Soviet-era technology for 30 years," the country's deputy defense minister, Bozhilov, conceded. But Sofia did not relent. U.S. Relations With Bulgaria - United States Department of State Once again, supplies from local companies were handled through foreign intermediary companies. After months of wavering, Germany and the United States want to supply Ukraine with armored infantry fighting vehicles. We are deeply grateful to Bulgaria for that, Kuleba said. Since 2017, Bulgaria, as part of the EU, has an agreement with Ukraine on visa-free travel. Or do they want to fall for the tricks of a brutal aggressor who oppresses and burns his own people to satisfy his imperial appetites?". For most of the last two years, except for Petkovs eight-monthslong government from December 2021 to August 2022, Bulgaria has been ruled by technocratic caretaker governments. In public, at least, Petkov sought to play down any idea that Bulgaria despite considerable stocks of Soviet-era weaponry would step up and arm Ukraine. 20002023, Ukrainska Pravda. Screen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. Johanna Deimel cited the possibility of more concrete action: "There is still a danger of Russian Federation sabotage against the country, including against the military and defense industries," she said. "Bulgaria will continue to do everything possible to aid the Ukrainians in this hard war and this huge aggression that the Russian Federation has been inflicting on them," he told reporters. That's what conservative German daily Die Welt claimed in an article from January 18. Bulgaria would not deliver weapons, it was decided. How would the plan work? This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google The European Commission ultimately supported those moves. Since their initial coalition with the centrist movement of We Continue the Change succeeded with victory in the 2021 Bulgarian Parliamentary Elections, they had a significant hearing in the Bulgarian foreign policy. Since Bulgaria has a deep connection and close relations with Russia dating back to the Tsardom Era, Bulgaria was caught between two fires during the Ukraine Conflict. Before the transition to democracy, the Bulgarian economy was primarily supported by the Soviet Union and boosted by the trade between the countries of the Warsaw Pact. On February 28, the Bulgarian Red Cross would open a fundraising account, Petkov said. Bulgaria should send military aid to Ukraine, the parliament decided on Thursday, giving the caretaker government one month to come up with a plan for what weapons the Black Sea country could send . This article was originally written in German. This article originally appeared in German. After all our "favourite" enemy in history is also Orthodox - the Serbians. We estimate that about a third of the ammunition needed by the Ukrainian army in the early phase of the war came from Bulgaria, Petkov told WELT. Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the worlds largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. "Ukraine was not mentioned as a buyer," she told DW. The first one comes from regular Bulgarians who are "fed up with the so-called caretaker government of the president, which practically in many important aspects did not govern," he said. https://balkaninsight.com/2022/04/27/poland-bulgaria-defiant-after-russia-cuts-off-gas-supply/, https://balkaninsight.com/2022/04/29/bulgarian-socialists-threaten-pm-petkov-over-support-for-ukraine/, https://balkaninsight.com/2022/05/04/bulgaria-to-repair-ukraines-military-equipment-despite-internal-tensions/. Western leaders set to upgrade military aid for Ukraine in Ramstein. Weitere Informationen darber, wie wir Ihre personenbezogenen Daten nutzen, finden Sie in unserer Datenschutzerklrung und unserer Cookie-Richtlinie. Still, Gustav Gressel, a Berlin-based security expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations, is skeptical. May 11, 2022 SHIPKA, Bulgaria A week after Russia invaded Ukraine, Moscow's ambassador to Bulgaria climbed a snowy mountain pass to honor czarist-era Russian soldiers who died there. Bulgaria Takes Unusual Stand Against Russia With Sanctions - The New Sofia provided fuel and vital Soviet specification arms to Kyiv, but had to keep supplies secret because of pro-Moscow politicians in government. As early as April 27, Gazprom chose Bulgaria as the first EU country where it would sever gas exports. It was a matter of life and death at that time, Kuleba explained, because otherwise the Russians would occupy more villages and towns, kill, torture and rape more Ukrainians. The monument, which is the subject of a procedure to remove it from the Sofia city centre, commemorates the September 1944 Red Army invasion of Bulgaria. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Both Panchugov and Assenova point to his opposition to sending military aid to Ukraine. We made sure that the overland route via Romania and Hungary was also open to trucks, Petkov said. Polls in Bulgaria showed that 70 percent of citizens worried about being drawn into the war and therefore opposed too much support for Ukraine. Bulgaria to provide humanitarian, military logistical aid to Ukraine Salvation came from an unexpected quarter: Bulgaria. 17 59 59 comments Top Add a Comment egati 9 mo. Romania, Bulgaria to Strengthen Security Amid Ukraine War Fears Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with former Prime Minister of Bulgaria Kiril Petkov | Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images. Russia loses Bulgarian supporters due to Ukraine war Mar 17, 2022 At the same time, 16% of Bulgarians believe Russia's military invasion of Ukraine is justified, while 61% are of the opposite. These companies are working at about 40% of their capacity and they've been forced to maintain the Bulgarian army's equipment with that," he complained. While Sofia is providing Ukraine with humanitarian assistance, Bulgaria is not sending weapons. "But being so close to the conflict, right now, military aid for Ukraine won't be possible.. For as little as three euro a month or the equivalent in other currencies, you can support The Sofia Globe via patreon.com: The Sofia Globe - the Sofia-based fully independent English-language news and features website, covering Bulgaria, the Balkans and the EU. He stressed that it was not a matter of the Bulgarian government providing military aid directly to Ukraine, but rather of Ukrainian companies and companies from NATO countries being given the opportunity to procure what was needed from Bulgarian vendors.. Vassilev recalls a World Bank meeting in Washington in the spring. Bulgarian Prime. Russia and Bulgaria: End of a tumultuous affair? - Al Jazeera Conversely, the pursuit of peace may seem like neutrality in conflict. It meant that the Russians see Bulgaria as no different than the other pro-Ukrainian countries to Bulgarians. Bulgaria may seek exception to any EU sanctions on Russian - Reuters The opposing Bulgarian Socialist Party and other pro-Russian politicians were divided amongst each other and the Bulgarian government found an opportunity to increase its support for Ukraine. Yanev's remarks caused outrage on social media and led to calls for his resignation . Footage from April shows cargo planes loaded to the brim with weapons flying between Bulgaria and Poland. He organized two tankers of liquefied natural gas from the United States at the same price per cubic meter as Gazprom was charging. Everyone was still in shock over the attack. However, Aleksandar Mikhailov, the former head of the Bulgarian state-owned arms dealerKintex who was recently dismissed from thepost was more critical. Thats what Zelenskyy thought Kuleba could secure on his mission to Sofia. The visit of US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin to Bulgaria on 18-19 March has led to speculations that the United States will urge Bulgaria to intervene . Petkov and Vassilev have already made history with their unprecedented covert help. Petkov led the Bulgarian government formed by a coalition of four parties between December 2021 and August 2022. Bulgaria has already experienced several cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns. Bulgaria's new pro-European government has previously confirmed its support for military assistance to Ukraine. France made a start with the promise of armored reconnaissance vehicles. The story, he said, was simple: While some members of the Bulgarian coalition sided with Russia, Petkov decided to be on the right side of history and help us defend ourselves against a much stronger enemy.. The Ukrainians had pushed the invaders back from the broader Kyiv region and the north, but many Western weapons had not yet been delivered. Copy/paste the article video embed link below: Refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine get help and support in Budapest, Bulgaria's former PM Boyko Borissov released from detention, Ukraine war: Russian forces push deeper into Mariupol as fighting flares nationwide. Boyko Borissov, former Bulgarian prime minister and leader of center-right GERB party, casts his vote during the parliamentary election, in Sofia, Bulgaria, April 2, 2023. Separately, Bulgarian Socialist Party leader Kornelia Ninova a deputy prime minister in the quadripartite governing coalition said that the Bulgarian government had not decided to supply Ukraine with weapons. Since most of their energy needs were satisfied by the Russian gas, they had to face an energy crisis now in addition to political instability. Inadequate support services for boys and men who have experienced trafficking. In the former Soviet satellite state, the Bulgarian government was so divided on providing military aid to Ukraine that it almost collapsed. We knew that Bulgarian warehouses had large quantities of the ammunition needed so President [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy sent me to obtain the necessary material, Kuleba said. People who come from Ukraine must be integrated as soon as possible, Petkov said. Three Romanian. Instead, it includes the likes of small arms, grenades and other munitions. Please support us in continuing to offer - as we set out to do when we launched in June 2012 - journalism that is truly independent and informed. Bulgaria became one of the largest exporters of diesel to Ukraine and at times covered 40 percent of Ukraines needs, former Finance Minister Vassilev told WELT. Putin's war of aggression against Ukraine, with the images of columns of smoke in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odessa, bombed-out apartment buildings and refugee trains on the Ukrainian borders, is now shifting the balance of power between the two groups. Bulgarias independent English-language news and features website. The list of arms is classified, but government officials have said Sofia would mainly send light weaponry and ammunition. Bulgaria has not officially provided aid to Ukraine, but through arms sales via other NATO countries. He is accused of organizing the hijacking of Russian warplanes together with the Ukrainian secret service SBU.
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