Opposition politicians said today that yesterday's meeting of the Consultative Council for National Security did not answer who attacked the ships in the Black Sea or what the sunken ship was carrying. The ruling parties say Bulgaria faces no threat.
The meeting, held at Dondukov 2, looked at current risks to maritime security and key infrastructure because of Russia's war against Ukraine. More than one ship was hit. The opposition is asking whether the sunken ship was carrying people, and wants an underwater drone to check the site.
GERB leader Boyko Borisov, who attended the meeting, said in Petrich that everyone had agreed on the drone. He criticised the reports from the security services, which he said state that the ships carried people or troops. It is not clear if that is true, he said, so an inspection is needed. Borisov also believes the ships were hit on purpose.
Ivan Lalov of Progressive Bulgaria said there is no threat to national security at the moment, but the risks from the war are growing. Nikolay Denkov of We Continue the Change said shots are being fired in the Black Sea and every passing ship is at risk. He said steps that affect Bulgaria now should come first.
Much of the opposition voiced fears of escalation and said the political and diplomatic steps are not enough. Atanas Atanasov of Democratic Bulgaria said the ruling parties avoid the subject of Russia because many of their voters are Russophiles and they do not want to upset them. He called the attack an act of terror and said Russia is the likely culprit.
Vazrazhdane leader Kostadin Kostadinov said the drone is either Russian or Ukrainian and there is no way to guess which, although Russia has been at war with Ukraine since February 2022. He said it matters more that nobody knows what the second ship was carrying. Kostadinov added that he had personally witnessed the bankruptcy of Bulgarian politics.
So far it has not been established whose drone it is. Atanasov names Russia as the likely culprit, and Russia has been at war with Ukraine since February 2022. The DPS did not comment.