The National Security Agency, the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Defense have taken additional measures to guarantee the security of the “Lukoil“ sites in Burgas, the Council of Ministers announced.
The Ministry of Defense has deployed an anti-drone system in the area, which will monitor and, if necessary, block potential threats from the air. Military police teams have also been prepared, which can assist the Ministry of Internal Affairs in securing strategic sites.
The measures come after the US decision to impose sanctions on “Lukoil“, as well as against the backdrop of incidents at the company's sites in other European countries, bTV recalls.
Meanwhile, the parliamentary energy committee has adopted a bill in a fast-track procedure that would allow the government to appoint a special manager for the Burgas refinery. The new manager will be able to take over operational control of the facility, approve its sale and, if necessary, proceed with nationalization.
According to the government, the measure aims to allow Bulgaria to request an exemption from sanctions, similar to what Germany has already received from Washington.
The topic was discussed on the program “This Morning“ on bTV by Samuil Ognyanov, managing editor of the newspaper “24 Chasa“, Ivaylo Stanchev, editor-in-chief of the newspaper “Kapital“, and Martin Vladimirov, director of the program “Energy and Climate“ at the Center for the Study of Democracy.
Ivaylo Stanchev commented that the key question is what is the real goal of the actions taken: “There was speculation that the goal is to preserve the working capital in the refinery, because it can be easily withdrawn. If a special manager is appointed, he will need serious capital – tens of millions of leva to be able to operate. There is a risk that if actions are taken incoherently with nationalization and other steps, the state will be left without effective operational management.“
Martin Vladimirov pointed out that the state measures are logical given the risk of financial and physical sabotage: “There are over 30 companies with Russian or Bulgarian ownership around the refinery. Part of the company's property can be transferred to related parties to make control and future sale more difficult. Such a transfer also took place in 2024. The special manager will have the right to operate with all the company's accounts, which is normal practice.“
Samuil Ognyanov warned that the real problem is the possibility that the refinery could stop working as early as November 21 if Bulgaria does not receive a reprieve from the sanctions: “We still do not have a decision from the US to postpone the sanctions against Bulgaria. Germany and Hungary have already agreed on it, but if this does not happen within a few days, the refinery will stop because there is no way to make payments. There is fuel, but there is no mechanism for paying for it.“
He called on politicians to actively seek a diplomatic solution.
“Politicians must stop arguing about who has what connections and come to an agreement with the two great powers - the US and Russia. Otherwise, after November 21, we will have a serious problem“, the journalist added.