Sensational demand: Denev to be removed due to incident with Von der Leyen's plane
Plovdiv, Bulgaria – A prominent figure in Bulgarian politics, the co-chairman of "Democratic Bulgaria" and leader of "Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria" (DSB), Atanas Atanasov, has made an extremely sharp demand for the immediate removal of the acting chairman of the State Agency "National Security" (DANS), Denyo Denev. The reason for the unprecedented measure is the alarming incident involving the plane of the President of the European Commission (EC), Ursula von der Leyen, at Plovdiv airport. A wave of concern swept through the country after information was leaked about alleged Russian interference in the operation of the onboard navigation systems.
The incident, which could have had catastrophic consequences, occurred during an approach for landing at Plovdiv airport. The press center of the Council of Ministers confirmed that the plane's GPS signal disappeared, thereby endangering the life and health of one of the most influential European leaders. The first data about what happened was published in the authoritative British newspaper "Financial Times", which explicitly stated that the navigation disruptions were the result of a possible Russian hybrid attack.
For its part, the Kremlin was quick to deny the claims, rejecting any involvement in the jamming of the GPS signal. This reaction, however, failed to ease the tension and dispel the serious questions that the incident raises about national and European security.
Atanasov: "They endangered the life and health of the head of the EU executive power"
In his sharp statement, distributed on the social network Facebook, Atanas Atanasov did not spare criticism of the Bulgarian security services. He called the incident a "Russian hybrid attack" and emphasized that depriving the plane of the ability to use electronic navigation means during landing constitutes a direct threat. "In connection with the Russian hybrid attack against the plane carrying the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, to Plovdiv airport, depriving it of the ability to use electronic navigation means during its landing at the airport and thereby endangering the life and health of the head of the EU executive power, I call for the immediate removal of the acting chairman of DANS, Denyo Denev", Atanasov wrote.
In addition to the removal of the head of DANS, he also insisted on an urgent convening of the Security Council at the Council of Ministers. The purpose of this meeting, according to Atanasov, is for the competent authorities to provide a full report on the reasons that led to the failure of the security systems. Atanasov emphasized that actions must be planned immediately to prevent similar risks and infringements in the future, directed against both national and international security.
Demand for a hearing of the prime minister
Atanasov's demands are not limited to this. He also called for a public hearing of Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov in the National Assembly, to be held on Wednesday. Atanasov expects the prime minister to provide detailed information regarding the state of the entire national security protection system, including aviation. He also highlighted the need to report on what measures are being taken to counter the threats arising from the activities of the Russian special services on the territory of the country.
Ursula von der Leyen's visit, which was also the reason for her landing in Bulgaria, took place on Sunday. She, together with Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, visited the "Vazov Machine-building Plants" (VMZ) in Sopot. At the time, no one suspected that the EC President's trip would be marked by such a serious incident, which casts a heavy shadow on the state of Bulgarian state security and the potential risks arising from geopolitical tension.