Bulgaria requests NATO deployment of fighter jets and drone-defence systems
Bulgaria's defence minister Dimitar Sztojanov announced a formal request to NATO for combat aircraft and drone-counter measures after multiple drone attacks on commercial ships near the Black Sea.
A spate of drone attacks on commercial vessels near the Black Sea, including two hits on ships off Romania and a sinking incident off Bulgaria that left several sailors unaccounted for, prompted Sofia to summon Russia's ambassador. Defence minister Dimitar Sztojanov said Bulgaria has formally appealed to NATO, sending letters to the alliance's secretary-general and the European Allied Forces commander, asking for the stationing of combat aircraft and drone-defence systems to bolster its security.
He indicated plans to discuss a coordinated approach with Romanian and Turkish counterparts and suggested a moratorium on attacks targeting civilian shipping. Bulgaria also intends to join NATO's drone-counter initiative by the end of October. The move underscores growing concerns over the spill-over of the Russia-Ukraine drone war into NATO's southeastern flank.
Why it matters
It signals a possible NATO air-defence deployment to protect Black Sea shipping from escalating drone threats.
How this story developed
- Oct 4 Australia and Turkey face backlash for hosting COP31 while expanding coal trade
- Oct 6 The pre‑COP31 summit began in Fiji.
- Oct 11 Turkey’s environment minister presented a 2035 implementation agenda at the pre‑COP sessions.
In this story
Related stories
16 in this thread