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Bulgaria provided Ukraine with arms worth $1 bln through other countries — media

According to the news outlet’s data, "indirect" sales of weapons and ammunition to Ukraine took place even before the start of the special military operation in February 2022, contrary to the official position of Bulgarian authorities

SOFIA, March 6. /TASS/. Over the past two years, Bulgaria has supplied Kiev with arms worth more than $1 billion through third countries, the EURACTIV portal reported following an investigation into such sales.

According to the news outlet’s data, "indirect" sales of weapons and ammunition to Ukraine took place even before the start of the special military operation in February 2022, contrary to the official position of Bulgarian authorities. "Bulgarian arms companies do not sell weapons and ammunition directly to Ukrainian buyers because there is an existing practice of carrying out such transactions through foreign programs," the news website quoted Velizar Shalamanov, former acting defense minister. According to him, deliveries of Bulgarian arms to Kiev are mainly funded by the United Kingdom, Poland and the United States.

The website revealed that the Bulgarian arms industry posted record weapons sales to foreign buyers in 2022, in particular to Poland and Romania, from where the arms were then shipped to Ukraine. The largest state-owned armament plants reported a 100% jump in sales, with arms export permits issued by Bulgaria since February 2022 valued at €1.1-1.3 billion. At the same time, the Bulgarian Economy and Industry Ministry stressed that from February 24, 2022 to January 2023, no applications for foreign trade transactions with Ukrainian companies or state entities had been filed with the Export Control Commission. Thus, according to the ministry, no export permits were issued for that period.

In January, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev warned against ramping up military aid to Ukraine, saying that it could lead to a global conflict. He also added that Sofia should not send weapons and, thus, support the continuation of the conflict.

In mid-January, German newspaper Welt reported on Bulgaria's secret ammunition deliveries to Kiev. The newspaper said that last spring Sofia provided up to a third of the Ukrainian army’s needs at the initial stage of the conflict.

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