"I promise that, when I become Prime Minister again, I will order a Lada Niva from Russia that will be armored and will always use it.
I will speak to President Putin, he will not refuse to me."

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov explaining to reporters the use of armored SUVs by him and his security details

Eearlier, a TV report revealed the vehicles had been owned by state agencies but dispatched to the National Service for Protection (NSO which provides guard to state officials) for different purposes and were used by the Prime Minister and visiting state leaders.

However, the armored SUVs are now necessary for the agencies, and Borisov instructed NSO head Angel Antonov to give them back.

Lada Niva and other Lada models were particularly popular among Eastern Bloc countries during the Cold War.