MOSCOW, February 25. /TASS/. Bulgaria breached its obligations by introducing external management at Lukoil plants in the country and Litasco sent a notice of dispute to Bulgaria, the company said.

"In order to protect its rights and legitimate interests, on February 19, 2026, LITASCO SA — a Geneva-based member of the LUKOIL Group and the immediate shareholder of LUKOIL Neftohim Burgas AD and LUKOIL Bulgaria EOOD — submitted notice of dispute(s) to the Republic of Bulgaria," the company said. "The notice was filed pursuant to the Agreement between the Swiss Confederation and the Republic of Bulgaria on the Promotion and Mutual Protection of Investments (including its Protocol) and the Energy Charter Treaty," it stressed.

The measures taken by Bulgaria constitute breaches of its obligations under the applicable bilateral investment treaty and the Energy Charter Treaty, the company said. "Specifically, those measures amount to unlawful expropriation of LITASCO SA's investments without compensation," it noted.

"In the absence of an amicable resolution, LITASCO SA intends to pursue all available legal remedies, including initiation of arbitration proceedings in the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes," the company added.