In brief
Change Floor Leader Nikolay Denkov has called on Bulgarian leaders to clarify why the war is advancing toward Bulgarian borders, citing drone strikes near Romania and a container‑ship attack off Cape Kaliakra. He condemned the diplomatic posture following a trilateral defence‑minister meeting, urging a push for peace negotiations with Russia.
In Sofia, Bulgaria, Change Floor Leader Nikolay Denkov posted a scathing Facebook message on Wednesday, calling on Prime Minister Rumen Radev and Armed Forces Chief‑in‑Chief Iliana Iotova to explain why, despite acknowledging Russian aggression, the war is creeping closer to Bulgarian territory.
Denkov cited a series of recent incidents that he said illustrate the war’s proximity: a drone attack on the area just off Romania’s Black Sea coast and a container‑ship strike off the coast of Cape Kaliakra. He also referred to a separate attack on a vessel near Shabla that occurred earlier that day, the same day Sofia hosted a meeting of defence ministers from Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey.
He questioned the current government’s diplomatic stance, asking, in a Facebook post, when officials would call on the aggressor to enter into peace negotiations and whether they still believed that diplomacy alone was the appropriate path forward.
Earlier the same day, Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov reported that a container ship had struck a depth charge near Shabla during the trilateral meeting in Sofia, which on that day “focused on security and defence in the Black Sea region.”
The post was criticised for the way Prime Minister Radev had been accused of blaming Romanians for the drone attacks, claiming that Romanian officials “dared to announce that the drones were Russian” and that such statements had ‘angered the ‘peace‑loving’ Putin.’
Denkov’s wording made it clear that he was contesting the notion that Russia’s involvement was fully contained away from Bulgarian borders. He demanded that the government explain how it intends to protect Bulgarian territory and citizens from a war he claims has already reached Bulgarian shores.
“What decision did they take at this meeting, and how will they protect Bulgarian territory and Bulgarian citizens from the war they have allowed to reach our shores?”
“The government has ‘bowed down to aggressor Russian President Vladimir Putin’ and yet the conflict is moving ever closer to the Bulgarian border,” he added. He said that the government’s actions were at odds with the rhetoric of peace and that decision‑makers in Sofia had failed to keep the nation safe.
The response from Prime Minister Radev was not yet available at the time of BTA’s reporting. The Call for clarification from Denkov reached Press House and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where officials are expected to weigh in during a scheduled briefing later that afternoon.
BTA reported that the meeting attended by defence ministers from Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey had concluded with a statement that the three countries remain committed to collective security in the Black Sea. Denkov said that he expected more detail on how these commitments would translate into concrete action to mitigate the imminent threat.
This day’s events underscore a polarised debate within Bulgaria about how to respond to the evolving strategic environment on the Black Sea. Denkov’s call for transparency and decisive action precedes a broader conversation about whether the country’s diplomatic engagement with Russia is adequately protecting national security interests, according to the statements he made.
