site.btaUPDATED Defence Minister Says Bulgaria Will Be Target of Hybrid Subversions by Russia, China in Coming Years

Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov Tuesday warned of hybrid subversions by both Russia and China in the coming years. "Russian subversive hybrid activities and China's hybrid influence will both pose a systemic challenge to Bulgaria in the coming years," Zapryanov said as he addressed a round table discussion on "Building Institutional Resilience against Malicious Foreign Influence" organized by the Center for the Study of Democracy (CSD).

"Countering the Kremlin's hybrid warfare in the information and digital domains today is of paramount importance for Bulgaria, and the Ministry of Defence in particular. Disinformation is the most immediate challenge we fight off every day," the Minister said.

Zapryanov added that the Kremlin's disinformation had cast a shadow over the most recent elections in Bulgaria, describing it as "one of the main tools for the internal political processes in our country, and not only in our country".

Speaking at the round table, CSD Chair Ognian Shentov said that Bulgaria remains a frequent target of Russia's hybrid warfare.

In his words, "Russia exploits economic security and uses pressure-exerting methods to create divisions in the European Union and NATO". "The Kremlin's hybrid warfare uses hybrid methods to influence public opinion and debates, as well as democratic systems and processes," Shentov added.

"I hope that today's discussion will lead to improved resilience against the Kremlin's actions," he said.

"The discussion will look at the possibilities of developing and implementing measures to improve the capacity of the public and private sectors to counter hybrid threats," the organizers said.