Bulgarian army

Sofia is blocked by football supporters who demand the resignation of Bulgarian Football Union president Borislav Mihailov. The demonstration is happening ahead of Bulgaria's European qualifier against Hungary at the Vasil Levski National Stadium.

GERB-SDS will not support the vote of no confidence against the government in Bulgaria, party leader Boyko Borissov assured on the sidelines of the parliament.

President Rumen Radev recently voiced fresh criticism of the Prime Minister during a round table discussion centered on exploring the potential for modernizing the Bulgarian Army through the adoption of accessible innovative technologies. His remarks pertained to the proposed early release of Plamen Tonchev, the chairman of the State Agency National Security (SANS).

With 11 votes "for" and 4 "against", the Defense Committee of the National Assembly adopted a draft decision on providing additional military aid to Ukraine.

It is proposed that Bulgaria donate malfunctioning anti-aircraft guided missiles and ammunition for automatic small arms that are no longer needed.

Defense Minister Todor Tagarev expressed his expectation that the purchase of American "Stryker" combat vehicles for the Bulgarian Army will be approved by the US Congress:

The number of those wishing to join the Bulgarian army has decreased sharply because of the "powerful disinformation campaign and propaganda that is in pro-Russian and anti-Bulgarian interest", said Defense Minister Todor Tagarev this morning on Euronews Bulgaria.

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev stated that emergency measures are needed to recruit qualified military personnel. The head of state spoke to the graduates of the Military Academy.

A Bulgarian Government Press Office photo shows Bulgaria's Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov (R) welcoming Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in Sofia, 6 July 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE/BULGARIAN GOVERNMENT PRESS OFFICE / HANDOUT

"We have an initiative to provide armored vehicles to Ukraine from the warehouses of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, without affecting the reserves of the army. We are proposing this as a draft decision of the parliament. The approximate number will be around 100, mostly armored personnel carriers."

The Ministries of Defense does not believe that the war in Ukraine can be transferred to NATO territories.

This was announced by the Deputy Minister of Defense Atanas Zapryanov in a comment on the published reports on the security of the State Agency for National Security" (SANS), the State Intelligence Agency (SIA) and the military intelligence.