Over the past two years, Bulgaria has transferred weapons worth billions of dollars to Ukraine through other countries, the parties did without direct agreements.
This is discussed in the investigation of the pan-European publication Euractiv.
EurActiv received a response to a request from the Ministry of Economy, which stated that Bulgaria did not conclude foreign trade agreements with Ukrainian companies and state institutions between February 24, 2022 and January 19, 2023, and, accordingly, no export permits were issued during this period. However, only last year, Bulgaria indirectly exported weapons worth at least $1 billion to Ukraine, EurActiv sources comment. The Bulgarian arms industry had record sales abroad, mainly to Poland and Romania, from where the weapons then went to Ukraine. EurActiv says indirect arms sales began before the full-scale Russian invasion.
Former Acting Minister of Defense of Bulgaria, former Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the NATO Communications and Information Agency Velizar Shalamanov noted: "Bulgarian arms companies donʼt sell weapons and ammunition directly to Ukrainian companies, because there is a practice when this happens through foreign programs."
According to him, there is a well-funded program in Great Britain, the USA and Poland. Under this program, the necessary weapons for Ukraine are purchased, that is, the money is not Ukrainian, but British, American, Polish or European. That is why it is bought through other companies. In addition, logistics, which are mainly organized through Poland, are important.
Employees of large state-owned arms factories in Sopot, Karlovy Vary and Kazanlik reported to the newspaper about a 100% increase in sales. Aleksandr Mikhailov, the former executive director of the state-owned company Kintex, through which weapons are exported from the country, confirmed this yearʼs record Bulgarian exports.
Bulgaria is one of the largest producers of Soviet-style weapons and ammunition used by the Ukrainian army. At the end of 2022, the Bulgarian parliament decided by an overwhelming majority to provide military aid to Ukraine from the Bulgarian army. President Rumen Radev, who was categorically against this decision, did not ban the decree. Bulgaria sent military aid, but then Radev announced that there would be no second supply of arms.
- In October 2022, EurActiv wrote that Bulgaria is one of the largest private suppliers of weapons to Ukraine. In January 2023, the German publication Die Welt wrote that at the beginning of the war, Bulgaria secretly provided Ukraine with a third of ammunition and 40% of diesel fuel. At the same time, due to internal political disagreements, the shells were transferred secretly.