Bulgaria to deploy anti-drone systems at critical infrastructure sites
Bulgaria will begin equipping critical infrastructure with anti-drone systems and step up police patrols at arms production and storage facilities amid heightened security concerns over the country's defense industry.
Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev said the government had reviewed security at critical infrastructure sites and would begin supplying them with systems designed to counter drones.
Police have also been instructed to increase patrols around weapons production and storage facilities.
The measures come days after a fire broke out at a weapons depot operated by Bulgarian arms manufacturer EMCO near the village of Tsareva Livada on Sept. 12.
EMCO said the fire was caused by sabotage, citing more than 10 similar incidents at Bulgarian defense companies since 2011. The company did not identify any suspects.
EMCO is run by Bulgarian arms trader Emilian Gebrev. Bulgarian prosecutors have previously alleged that Russian operatives were behind attacks targeting the company's facilities.
In 2024, Bulgaria issued arrest warrants for six Russian citizens accused of involvement in explosions at EMCO weapons depots between 2011 and 2020. The facilities had stored ammunition intended for export to Ukraine and Georgia.