Support for Ukraine is Bulgaria's strategic interest, so most of the ammunition, small arms and light weapons produced by the Bulgarian military-industrial complex are supplied to Kyiv.
The Minister of Defense of Bulgaria Todor Tagarev has said this in an interview with the Ukrainian service of the Voice of America, Ukrainian News Agency reports.
Tagarev noted that Bulgaria transfers old Soviet-era systems and ammunition in good condition to Ukraine as military assistance.
According to him, the Ukrainian military knows how to use them and does not need additional exercises.
In addition, the Bulgarian defense industry plans to launch additional production facilities for the production of ammunition of NATO standards - 155 and 105 mm caliber.
"But the most important is the production of ammunition, small and light weapons in Bulgaria. This is the field of production in which Bulgaria specialized back in Soviet times, and this specialization remains. So, the defense industry operates almost 24/7, and the bulk of this production goes to Ukraine, directly or through third parties," said Tagarev.
The defense minister said that supporting Ukraine is Bulgaria's strategic interest, since if russia wins the war against Ukraine, it is difficult to predict which country will become the next victim.
He stressed that in this case the risks to the security of Europe and the eastern flank of NATO, in particular for Bulgaria, will increase.
"So, it is in our strategic interests that Ukraine stands up to russia's aggression and regains its territorial integrity," the minister said.
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, the minesweeping group of the Naval Forces of Bulgaria and Romania began to clear the Black Sea from mines.
Tagarev said Bulgaria would invest EUR 6 billion in infrastructure to deploy NATO forces on the eastern flank if necessary.
On November 22, the Bulgarian People's Assembly ratified an agreement between the Bulgarian Ministry of Interior Affairs and the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine on the provision of armored vehicles, suitable weapons and spare parts to Ukraine.
In September, Bulgarian publications reported that Bulgaria's parliament voted behind closed doors to supply Ukraine with unfit S-300 missiles for repair and use to protect its cities from attacks by the aggressor state of russia.
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