In 2025, the processes in the global security environment were dominated by the strengthening trend towards the imposition of force and specifically military instruments in resolving disputes between leading countries and defending their national interests. This is stated in the annual report on the activities of the "Military Intelligence" Service, published on the website of the Council of Ministers.
The accelerated arms race resulting from these trends has deepened existing and generated new risks and threats of military escalation, the report, quoted by BTA, also says.
According to the document, the war in Ukraine continues to be a destabilizing factor for regional and international security. As a result of international sanctions, the problems in the Russian economy have deepened and it has entered a state of recession. Externally, Moscow has relied on various instruments (diplomatic, military, economic, energy) and hybrid operations to generate influence in Africa and Asia and to create tension in the Euro-Atlantic community. It has lost positions in Central Asia, South America and the Middle East, the report says.
Comprehensive international support for Ukraine remains a strategically important factor with critical importance for maintaining the country's defense potential. The unity and determination of Ukrainian society are being put to a serious test. The difficulties in carrying out mobilization, the critical state of the energy system and the significant deterioration of the humanitarian situation provoke discontent and a declining resistance potential, our military intelligence service points out in its report. The Service notes that the revelations of anti-corruption bodies and scandals involving senior state officials in the misuse of state funds continue.
Western Balkans
With regard to the Western Balkans, our military intelligence notes that the situation last year was relatively stable, although in some countries the domestic political situation was complicated by ongoing civil and political protests against the state government.
Some of the countries reported progress in the course of the negotiations for EU membership, but others did not fulfill their commitments to Brussels, looking for a way to change what was agreed, including seeking international support for these efforts. In this regard, the intensity of anti-Bulgarian rhetoric increased, as did efforts to assimilate and further fragment the Bulgarian minorities and communities in the region. The active efforts of Western Balkan countries to discredit Bulgaria at the international and regional levels also continued, the report further states.
Cyber operations
According to the report, the reported negative trend towards an increase in hybrid threats, characterized by the increasingly intensive use of innovative technologies, including content generated through artificial intelligence, persists.
The goals and scope of offensive cyber operations against critical systems in NATO and EU member states, including Bulgaria, are expanding, and malicious independent and state-supported cyber formations are applying new approaches and tools for their implementation. The risk of diversions and sabotage against elements of critical infrastructure has also increased significantly, the report further states.