Bulgaria seeks NATO anti-drone systems, defense minister says

Bulgaria has formally asked NATO to deploy combat aircraft and anti-drone systems to bolster its defenses after a series of drone attacks on commercial shipping in the Black Sea, Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said on Friday.

Drones hit two ships that caught fire off Romania’s Black Sea coast this week. On Tuesday, a commercial vessel sank off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast following a drone attack, prompting Sofia to summon Russia’s ambassador.

The attacks have highlighted the growing threat that drone warfare linked to the Russia-Ukraine conflict poses to commercial shipping near NATO’s southeastern flank, prompting Bulgaria to push for stronger alliance defenses in the Black Sea.

“We have sent letters and a request to the NATO Secretary General and the Supreme Allied Commander, urging them to strengthen our capabilities, which also means deploying additional forces on our territory. We are awaiting their decision,” Stoyanov said.

Stoyanov said he planned to meet his Romanian and Turkish counterparts soon to discuss coordinating action and a common approach to the situation in the Black Sea.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte met Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev and Romanian President Nicusor Dan on Thursday, saying afterwards that NATO would “continue to work closely with our Allies in the Black Sea, adjusting our deterrence and defence posture as needed.”

Asked about Bulgaria’s request on Friday, a NATO official said the issue would be discussed further by ambassadors from the alliance’s 32 member states next week.

Bulgaria, which has proposed a moratorium on attacks on civilian ships in the Black Sea, also expects to join a NATO anti-drone initiative by the end of October.

保加利亚国防部长迪米塔尔·斯托亚诺夫周五表示，在黑海发生一系列针对商船的无人机袭击事件后，保加利亚已正式请求北约部署作战飞机和反无人机系统，以加强其防御。

本周，两艘在罗马尼亚黑海沿岸起火的船只均遭无人机袭击。周二，一艘商船在保加利亚黑海沿岸遭到无人机袭击后沉没，索非亚方面随即召见了俄罗斯大使。

这些袭击凸显了与俄罗斯-乌克兰冲突有关的无人机战争对北约东南翼附近商业航运构成的日益严重的威胁，促使保加利亚推动加强联盟在黑海的防御。

斯托亚诺夫说：“我们已致函北约秘书长和盟军最高司令，敦促他们加强我们的能力，这也意味着在我们的领土上部署更多部队。我们正在等待他们的决定。”

斯托亚诺夫表示，他计划很快与罗马尼亚和土耳其的同行会面，讨论协调行动以及对黑海局势的共同应对措施。

北约秘书长马克·吕特周四会见了保加利亚总理鲁门·拉德夫和罗马尼亚总统尼库索尔·丹，会后表示，北约将“继续与我们在黑海的盟友密切合作，并根据需要调整我们的威慑和防御态势”。

周五，当被问及保加利亚提出的请求时，一位北约官员表示，该问题将于下周由联盟 32 个成员国的大使进一步讨论。

保加利亚已提议暂停袭击黑海的民用船只，并预计将于 10 月底加入北约的反无人机倡议。