In two years, Bulgaria sent over $1 billion worth of weapons to Ukraine. This happened through intermediary countries, including the USA, Great Britain and Poland. This was reported to Euractiv by their sources.

The former Minister of Defense Velizar Shalamanov announced in a media investigation that "Bulgarian companies do not sell weapons and ammunition directly to Ukrainian customers, because there is a practice of implementing agreements through foreign programs."

"That is, the money is not Ukrainian, but British, American, Polish or European. Therefore, weapons are bought through other companies. Also, logistics is important, and as we all know, it is organized mainly through Poland and is the responsibility of those companies that buy on the Bulgarian market," explained the politician.

In 2022, the Bulgarian arms industry sent a record number of weapons abroad – in particular to Poland and Romania, from where they were transported to Ukraine.

According to the publication, the first case of Bulgaria supplying weapons to Ukraine was even before the start of a full-scale invasion of Russian troops. Although from the beginning of 2021 until February 24, 2022, Ukraine did not enter into direct agreements with Bulgarian arms companies, they are the main exporters of Soviet-made weapons and ammunition for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the then Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Bulgaria Kornelia Ninova has repeatedly emphasized that she will not allow the export of Bulgarian weapons to Ukraine. The issue of sending weapons is a major bone of contention between the Russophile and pro-Western parties in Bulgaria, writes Euractiv.

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