Black Sea: Bulgaria deploys all army resources, defence minister says

Bulgaria has mobilised all available resources of its armed forces to secure the Black Sea region, Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said on Friday. Radar coverage to the east has been strengthened, with fighter and reconnaissance aircraft and naval assets in use, Stoyanov told reporters at Cheshnegirovo airfield near Plovdiv. He was attending a demonstration at BOLD ADRA 26, a multinational experimental counter-drone exercise with special forces from more than 15 countries. It is the first time Bulgaria has hosted the exercise, organised by NATO's special operations command.

The minister said the legal framework for drones must change. Amendments to the Defence and Armed Forces Act are planned, and the Transport Ministry has drafted an ordinance. Decisions on the use of drones should be delegated to lower-level commanders, he said.

Chief of Defence Admiral Emil Eftimov said NATO was responding on the basis of information sharing and analysis, in a measured way and without escalating the situation. The alliance is working on a Black Sea naval command with Türkiye as lead nation, a project he described as well advanced. There is no universal counter-drone system, and a real-time picture of the situation is key, Eftimov said, according to bTV.