In 2023, Bulgaria provided Ukraine with different types of military aid in its ongoing war with Russia. Bulgaria sent armaments to Ukraine several times following Parliament’s decisions on military aid.
While at the beginning of the year the information about the military aid that Bulgaria provides to Ukraine was classified, in December, Parliament adopted decisions that revealed to the public what assistance this country is sending.
Parliament's first decision on military aid for Ukraine
On December 9, 2022 the Bulgarian Parliament voted to send military-technical aid to Ukraine. In accordance with the decision, the list of armaments remained classified.
During a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at the beginning of 2023, the then caretaker defence minister, Dimitar Stoyanov, said that Bulgaria would provide military and military-technical aid to Ukraine in implementation of the decision of the National Assembly. In March, he noted that the caretaker government was not in preparation for an additional military aid agreement with Ukraine. "The Bulgarian army has provided what it can. We are below the stockpile norms, so there is no way that additional military assistance and the requested ammunition can be provided," he explained.
New Government – new military aid for Ukraine
Bulgaria is preparing a new tranche of military aid for Ukraine, the current Defence Minister, Todor Tagarev, said in late June. "The assistance is according to Ukrainian needs and Bulgaria's capabilities, as decided by the National Assembly on December 9 last year," he added.
On June 26, the Council of Ministers adopted a new package of military and military-technical assistance for Ukraine in implementation of Parliament’s decision. The second military aid tranche is commensurate in volume with the first one which the caretaker government sent, Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov said.
In late September, the National Assembly approved the provision of additional military aid to Ukraine, which included defective 5V55R surface-to-air missiles owned by the Defence Ministry, and rounds of 5.56x45 mm-calibre automatic-weapon ammunition which have been discarded by the Interior Ministry. In early December, Parliament resolved on providing Ukraine with portable anti-aircraft missile systems and surface-to-air missiles of various types which are either defective, no longer needed, or above establishment. The armament in question was in the possession of the Bulgarian Armed Forces and was intended to be used to strengthen Ukraine's air defence.
On November 22, Parliament approved the provision to Ukraine of armoured transport vehicles and the corresponding armament and spare parts. A few days later, President Rumen Radev vetoed it. On December 8, the National Assembly overrode the presidential veto and thus reconfirmed that this country will send some 100 armoured personnel carriers (APC) that are no longer needed by the Bulgarian Interior Ministry.
Bulgarian President Rumen Radev has repeatedly said that the war in Ukraine has no military solution
Our government is fervently trying to convince us that they are increasing our security by sending military aid. Quite the contrary, we can all see that this conflict is deepening unequivocally, the casualties are increasing. The more weapons it is fed with, the more deaths and destruction there will be, the greater the risk will be and the longer this war will drag on, Radev said in mid-July.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed gratitude for the support
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked for the support for Ukraine in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, dated December 8. "I am grateful to the Bulgarian Parliament for reconfirming the delivery of APCs to Ukraine as well as the new military aid package. I thank political leaders Boyko Borissov, Delyan Peevski and Kiril Petkov. With this decision, we are strengthening our Europe and the defense of freedom," Zelenskyy wrote.
Various demonstrations were held here throughout the year in support of and against the sending of military aid to Ukraine.
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