Bulgaria joins NATO counter-drone initiative after Black Sea ship attacks
Photo: Cargo ship (Getty Images)
Bulgaria plans to join a NATO initiative to counter drones by the end of October. The decision follows recent attacks on cargo ships in the Black Sea, according to Reuters.
Bulgarian Minister of Defense Dimitar Stoyanov stated that the country intends to join the project as soon as possible.
"Bulgaria will be part of this project as soon as possible. Expectations are that by October 30, we will already be part of the project," he stated.
According to Reuters, Sofia is insisting on strengthening the alliance's defense in the Black Sea amid threats related to the use of drones in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Drone attacks on ships near Bulgaria
On October 13, drones struck two cargo ships near the Bulgarian coast. One of them, the HS Dignity, sailing under the flag of Guinea-Bissau, sank. Following the incident, 11 sailors went missing.
This is not the first such incident in a short period. On October 6, drones struck two more cargo ships in the same waters.
The Bulgarian authorities did not directly accuse Russia of organizing the attacks. At the same time, the country's President Rumen Radev* stated on Tuesday that the consequences of these incidents benefit Russia.
