Bulgaria supplied $1 billion worth of arms to Ukraine through intermediaries - mass media

The first deliveries began even before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Over the course of two years, Bulgaria sent arms worth more than $1 billion to Ukraine. This happened through intermediary countries, including the United States, Great Britain, and Poland.

According to the former member of the People’s Assembly of Bulgaria, Velizar Shalamanov, in the Euractiv investigation , “Bulgarian companies do not sell weapons and ammunition directly to Ukrainian customers, because there is a practice of implementing deals through foreign programs.”

“That is, the money is not Ukrainian, but British, American, Polish or European. That is why weapons are bought through other companies. In addition, logistics is important, and as we all know, it is mainly organized through Poland and is the responsibility of those companies that buy from the Bulgarian market,” the politician explained

In 2022, the Bulgarian arms industry sent a record number of its products abroad – in particular, to Poland and Romania, from where the weapons were transported to Ukraine.

According to the publication, the first case of Bulgaria’s supply of weapons to Ukraine was even before the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russian troops. Although from the beginning of 2021 to February 24, 2022, Ukraine did not conclude direct agreements with Bulgarian arms companies, they are the main exporters of weapons and ammunition manufactured according to Soviet standards for the Armed Forces.

War in Ukraine – help to Bulgaria

As previously reported by UNIAN, journalists found out that Bulgaria secretly supplied Ukraine with fuel and components for Soviet weapons. All operations were carried out secretly so that they would not be disrupted by pro-Russian forces in the Bulgarian government.

In December 2022, the Bulgarian parliament approved in the second and final reading the agreement between Bulgaria and Ukraine on the supply of weapons , equipment and ammunition to our country .

On February 26, it became known that the Bulgarian plant “Terem” in the city of Kostenc starts the production of 122 mm projectiles after 35 years of idleness. Products will be supplied exclusively for the Armed Forces.

(C)UNIAN 2023