Bulgaria Adapted to the Black Sea Security Challenges

Bulgaria had started to recover from a decade-long political downfall characterised by a deepening democratic deficit, strategic corruption and blatant national populism. Russian propaganda and local proxies exploited the country’s vulnerability, strengthening the Kremlin’s geopolitical influence. The war in Ukraine revealed a hazardous scenario of hybrid threats. The situation has shown improvement after the prompt actions taken by the Kiril Petkov and Nikolai Denkov governments. Bulgaria provides Ukraine with substantial weapons and ammunition and strengthens the national and allied capabilities. The government holds the potential to reinstate Bulgaria’s position in the Euroatlantic mainstream and contribute to removing the Russian war threat.