Bulgaria will wait for the results of its own investigation into the drone and the ship Chelsea 3, not for EU assessments that the drones are Russian, defence minister Dimitar Stoyanov told BNT. If the drone is confirmed as Russian, Russian ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanova will most likely be handed a diplomatic note.

On Wednesday, prime minister Rumen Radev told a hearing in parliament that Bulgaria still does not know where the drones that hit four ships in the Black Sea in one week came from.

The background: Radev: Bulgaria still does not know where drones that hit 4 ships came from

The military prosecutor's office has opened pre-trial proceedings, and military police are also involved in the probe. Stoyanov explained that once an investigation is under way, the defence minister cannot give out information, and he has none himself. The prosecutor's office will say what has been found.

The EU's assessments became public late on Friday. Stoyanov said Bulgaria cannot block any EU position, and he does not know whether the Bulgarian prime minister signed it. The EU can use its own assessments, the minister said, but if it has up-to-date evidence that the drones are Russian, it should give it to Bulgaria.

He pointed to Germany, where the government said after 27-28 days that a drone over an airport was Russian. The Germans needed technical time, Stoyanov said, while in Bulgaria opposition leaders wanted the drone called Russian before the incident even happened. He added that he does not want to be "the most up-to-date minister".

"National security is not a place for silly sketches. Even less for TikTok performances," Stoyanov said. He said the opposition's "hard drive has been wiped", that it does not want to hear the truth and that the authorities must do their job.

The minister accused an unnamed opposition leader of telling "a pile of lies". He said the opposition first announced that it was setting up a "Black Sea Shield", then said the next day that the government had listened to it. Stoyanov called this "absolute nonsense" and said of the leader: "This gentleman's expertise is zero. And not only his, but that of everyone around him." He said the expertise in the defence ministry is huge.

"And what if the drone is Ukrainian?" Stoyanov asked, and he urged great care in findings and conclusions. Asked about a possible Ukrainian provocation, he said that as a citizen he could make such a guess, but as a minister he works with facts, not hypotheses. He will say whether the drone is Russian or Ukrainian only when he sees the facts.

A show of force, the minister said, means being ready for any challenge with the forces and equipment based on Bulgarian territory. Bulgaria needs fighter jets, surface-to-air missile systems, anti-drone systems and kinetic counter-drone systems, he said, and the ministry is working to buy them.

Stoyanov said money cannot be given to a project with a 10-year timeline.