The Ministry of Defence announced that personnel and military equipment of the French Armed Forces will transit through the Bulgarian road network from September 25 to October 2, 2025.
The transit is planned along a route from the border checkpoint (BCP) "Kapitan Petko Voivoda" to the BCP Ruse.
Military Police teams will ensure security, providing escort for the military convoys.
The movement of heavy equipment will likely cause some difficulties on the roads, and temporary traffic restrictions may be observed.
The ministry is expected to provide more specific information on the routes and expected traffic delays in the coming days.
Purpose of the transit
The purpose of the transit is participation in the NATO military exercise "Dacian Fall – 2025", which will be held at military training grounds in Romania from October 20 to November 13.
The exercise, planned by the headquarters of the Multinational Division Southeast (HQ MND-SE), deployed in Romania, will bring together over five thousand servicemen from ten allied countries: Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Italy, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Spain.
The scale of the exercise underscores the importance of joint security and defence within NATO, as well as the readiness of allied countries to address potential threats.
At the same time, the NATO Multinational Battle Group in Bulgaria, with Italy as the framework nation, will conduct exercises integrated with "Dacian Fall – 2025" at the Novo Selo training ground.
This further confirms Bulgaria"s commitment to collective security and its active role within NATO.
The transit of French servicemen and equipment through Bulgaria is in full compliance with Article 13, paragraph 1, point 1 of the Law on the transit through and stay on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria of allied and foreign armed forces, as well as with the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria and the Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO on transformation regarding the provision of host nation support for the conduct of NATO operations and exercises, ratified by a law adopted by the 39th National Assembly in October 2004.
This demonstrates Bulgaria"s long-standing commitment to transatlantic security and its role as a reliable ally.
Today, simultaneously with the arrival of the French troops, the transportation of military equipment and materiel from BCP "Kapitan Petko Voivoda" to the Novo Selo training ground is expected in connection with the rotation of the Italian contingent in the composition of the NATO Multinational Battle Group in Bulgaria.
These convoys will also be escorted by the Military Police.
In August, similar movements of personnel and military equipment were carried out, related to the rotation of formations participating in the NATO Multinational Battle Group in Bulgaria and in the joint Bulgarian-American training at the Novo Selo training ground, as well as with the rotation of the Bulgarian contingent in the composition of KFOR in Kosovo.
This demonstrates the continuous dynamics in the operational commitments of the Bulgarian army within the framework of international security operations.