Bulgaria's Formal Request to NATO
Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov announced on Friday that Sofia has made a formal appeal to NATO for warplanes and counter-drone equipment, aiming to reinforce the country's protection following repeated unmanned aerial strikes on merchant vessels in the Black Sea. According to Stoyanov, correspondence and a formal petition were dispatched to both the NATO Secretary General and the Supreme Allied Commander, asking them to boost Bulgaria's military capacity, including by stationing extra troops on Bulgarian soil. He added that Sofia is waiting for their response. NATO offered no immediate reaction when asked to comment.[S1][S2][S3][S4][S6][S7]
Recent Drone Attacks on Shipping
This week, two vessels were struck by drones and set ablaze near Romania's Black Sea shoreline. A separate drone strike on Tuesday caused a commercial ship to go down off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast, leading Sofia to call in Russia's ambassador. These incidents have underscored how drone operations tied to the Russia-Ukraine war increasingly endanger merchant traffic close to NATO's southeastern flank, driving Bulgaria to seek beefed-up alliance protection in the Black Sea.[S1][S5][S8]
Regional Coordination and Next Steps
Stoyanov indicated he intends to sit down with his Romanian and Turkish counterparts in the near future to work out coordinated steps and a shared strategy regarding the Black Sea situation. Bulgaria, which has put forward a proposal to halt attacks on civilian vessels in the Black Sea, also anticipates becoming part of a NATO counter-drone program before October ends.[S1]
