Russia has been fighting a full-scale war against Ukraine since February 2022.

At a briefing in parliament, Revival MP Tsoncho Ganev called on president Rumen Radev to immediately stop all exports of weapons, ammunition and other military aid to Ukraine, and to end money donations to Kyiv.

He said Bulgaria should pull out of international pacts for financial aid to Ukraine, and pointed out that the state budget already sets aside 34 million levs (17 million euros) for this purpose.

Ganev claimed vice-president Iliana Yotova is refusing to call a meeting of the Consultative Council on National Security. He noted that less than two weeks ago, the government and the vice-president backed a UN declaration condemning Russia.

The MP also brought up an incident involving two ships: "Now two ships have been attacked. What's been said is that one was heading south and the other north, and according to the Bulgarian authorities, this raises serious doubts that at least one of the ships was expected to be carrying weapons to a Romanian or Ukrainian port," he said.

Ganev said this suggests the incident was not necessarily Russia's doing. That claim runs against the facts: since the start of the full-scale war in 2022, Russia has repeatedly attacked merchant ships in the Black Sea.

He argued Bulgaria is exposed and is effectively a party to Russia's war against Ukraine because of its weapons exports and financial aid to Kyiv. He said there have already been casualties because of the serious situation, while the government acts surprised, as though nothing like this was expected.

Ganev accused president Radev of continuing to support Ukraine and supply weapons, and said this makes the government responsible for Bulgaria's indirect role in Russia's war against Ukraine.

Ganev claimed that in August a Ukrainian drone struck a gas distribution station in Bulgaria. He offered no evidence for this. The incident is part of the war Russia has been waging against Ukraine since February 2022.

Ganev also claimed, without providing evidence, that sea and combat drones could be launched from Varna, where a NATO command centre is based.