Kostadin Kostadinov, leader of the Vazrazhdane party, has urged Bulgaria in a Facebook post to declare full neutrality and stop all arms exports to Ukraine. He was reacting to the strike on a container ship off Shabla.
In early October, drones had already hit merchant ships in Bulgaria's economic zone in the Black Sea. Yesterday foreign minister Velislava Petrova said in a TV interview that Bulgaria is working to get proof of where they came from as soon as possible.
How it all started: Petrova: Bulgaria is working to get proof on the drones quickly
Three sea drones hit the container ship. Defence minister Dimitar Stoyanov announced this less than an hour before this report was published, after a three-way meeting of ministers and defence chiefs from Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey. They discussed security and defence in the Black Sea region.
Kostadinov says neutrality and an end to arms exports are the only possible choice. He thinks the ship was probably carrying weapons, which is why it was sunk. He also does not rule out a false-flag operation meant to drag other countries into the war against Russia.
His post includes a video of the attack filmed by local residents. Kostadinov writes that events are unfolding before the eyes of people in the Shabla area, and says he is sharing the video so people can see what war looks like. He says PP-DB, GERB, DPS and Rumen Radev all insisted the war would not touch Bulgaria because NATO would protect it.
"He who sows the wind will reap the whirlwind. Vazrazhdane has been warning for years, but we were not heard," he wrote. He said this also applies to the latest election, on Sunday.
"We will keep doing what is needed to defend our Fatherland, but if the people themselves do not want to help themselves, we will be powerless," the party leader added.