Ministry of Defense

Day 679 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

Today's air quality remains alarmingly hazardous across several cities, with fine dust particles soaring well above acceptable levels. The anticipated wind movement offers a glimmer of hope in dispersing the pollution that has gripped numerous urban areas.

There are some of our fellow citizens who, for reasons of economic survival, join the National Guard. According to the law, "their daily compensation for participating in missions is fixed at 16 euros" - if they have any missions.

It has been almost two years since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Over the past few weeks, Russian troops have launched a major offensive targeting Avdiyivka, a city in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region that Moscow also claims as its territory.

Bulgaria to provide old anti-aircraft missile complexes and anti-aircraft missiles of different types to Ukraine, to be used to strengthen its counter-air defense. This was voted for by the Defense Committee at an extraordinary meeting. With 11 votes "in favor", 4 "against" and one "abstention", the draft decision was adopted by the committee.

The Bulgarian government swiftly approved an emergency allocation of $263.3 million towards the first installment for acquiring Stryker armored vehicles, set to be paid by December 15th.

The President's veto on the Law on the Ratification of the Agreement by which Bulgaria provides APCs to Ukraine free of charge was rejected by the Defense Committee. With 11 votes "for" and 4 "against", the deputies again supported the law.

Bulgaria's Defense Minister, Todor Tagarev, has highlighted the country's significant prospects in drone manufacturing during an interview with Nova TV. Tagarev emphasized that although Bulgaria currently produces limited quantities of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) specifically for military operations, there exists substantial potential in this sector.

Threats also come from groups that support Iran in the midst of Israel's war against Hamas.
The deployment of HMS Diamond, a Type 45 destroyer, comes after Houthi rebels in Yemen hijacked an Israel-linked cargo ship in the Red Sea last week and the US military had to rescue another vessel on Sunday, Sky News reported.

The mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, announced that the Russian Air Defense Forces had destroyed a drone launched by Ukrainian forces towards the Russian capital.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the foreign ministers of the Alliance members reiterated their determination to support Ukraine on its way to the Alliance, as well as its defense in the war with Russia.