Demerdzhiev, the interior minister, says more drone attacks are expected in the Black Sea. Ivan Demerdzhiev told reporters in Plovdiv on Sunday, 8 November, that Bulgaria has asked European partners, the US and international organisations for help after more drones washed up on its Black Sea coast.

Demerdzhiev also spoke about pay in the interior ministry. On Thursday, 5 November, he told the parliamentary internal security committee that police officers may not get the planned 5% rise in 2027. No decision has been made yet. One option under discussion is to raise pay in stages from 2028.

The previous development: Police may not get 5% pay rise in 2027

Demerdzhiev said the situation in the Black Sea is getting worse. The interior ministry and the defence ministry have put all their resources to work, he said.

The incidents happen in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone, outside its territorial waters. There, the minister explained, international maritime law and current rules limit what the authorities can do. Beyond territorial waters, Bulgaria can mostly carry out rescue operations, and the institutions keep very closely to their powers and means, he said.

Demerdzhiev said Bulgaria's technical means of defence must improve a great deal. He criticised the state of the security systems his team found when it took over.

The interior ministry and the army are quickly building new anti-drone systems. Entirely new technical equipment is also being installed on the sea border. It will better protect strategic sites and the maritime border, and the work is moving very fast, the minister said.

The budget does not now allow higher pay, especially in defence and security. "Staff in these sectors deserve a rise, and we will do everything possible to make it happen from the next budget," Demerdzhiev said, as quoted by BTA.

The minister hopes the period without a rise will last only one year, so that other areas that are falling behind can catch up. Over the past five years, pay in the interior ministry has risen by more than 114%, but the increase was not spread evenly across areas.

Demerdzhiev said the ministry's leadership has discussed the issue with the trade unions many times, and decisions are made together with them. The lack of a rise was not a surprise to the unions, and all sensible people there understand the situation, he added.

If losses of public money are stopped, there will be money for decent pay, the minister believes. The leadership will fight for it because police officers deserve it.

"We will not cut uniformed police officers," he said. He saw other room for savings in the administration and among staff without police duties.

Demerdzhiev described the interior ministry as one of the few institutions in Bulgaria that remove their own staff who fail to meet standards. He compared its Internal Security department to an immune system that will keep working against the small number of employees who do not accept its values and are bound to obey the law.

A police officer from the Sofia Directorate of Internal Affairs was arrested in a case built by the department. On Sunday, the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office charged an investigating officer from the directorate over a €500 bribe. Prosecutors say that, as an official, he asked for the money and received it on Friday at about 15:00 in Sofia, near the crossing of Hristo Botev and Todor Alexandrov boulevards.

Demerdzhiev also commented on the murder of Plovdiv businessman Iliyan Filipov. It was announced a few days ago that the weapon had been found, and the minister said the results of the expert examination are conclusive. He recalled that the day after the killing he had said he was confident that the man who physically carried it out was in custody and awaiting trial.

The minister came to Plovdiv for a charity kickboxing tournament that raises money for the children of those killed or injured on duty in the interior ministry. He also took part in events for the police professional holiday.

The tournament is organised by the ministry's leadership and staff, the Bulgarian Kickboxing Federation, athletes, businesspeople and public figures. For the first time, money is being raised for the families of all who died on duty in the ministry's units.