I did not see anything disturbing in this document, I did not see anything that was not said in one form or another by the Bulgarian institutions, including the calls for an end to the war by Russia. This was said in the program "Denyat na Zievo" on BNT by former Defense Minister Angel Naydenov in connection with the scandal that erupted with a declaration against Russia by 50 countries in the UN - mainly from the European Union, in which Bulgaria is also mentioned. That night, President Iliana Yotova posted on Facebook that the declaration was not signed because a signature was not required.
If it were not for the clarification from President Yotova, I think this document would have gone almost unnoticed in Bulgarian political circles. If this document had been paid any attention at all, it would have been defined as another toothless document full of declarative intentions, Naydenov said.
The attacks began immediately after it became clear that Bulgaria was a country that supported this document, because it coincided with the first day of the election campaign. It is quite understandable that such a document is becoming the center of attention within this campaign, the former defense minister added.
He also commented on the reaction of the European Union and NATO to Russian hybrid attacks.
The fears and steps towards strengthening the stability, security and deterrence potential of Europe do not date back to recent weeks, but literally from the first day of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In the last two months, there have been a series of warnings from Western intelligence services, including the CIA, about prepared aerial provocations with drones that could be launched from merchant ships against Italy, Spain and France. This indicates the increasing activity of Russian hybrid attacks, which, according to a CIA report, may include sabotage, assassinations, violation of airspace, attacks and disruption of underwater communications, and cyberattacks, Angel Naydenov pointed out.
Their common goal is destabilization in Western countries, interference in the upcoming elections in Italy, Spain, and France, destruction of unity in the European Union and NATO, and reduction of support for Ukraine through fear and exhaustion within this support, he noted.
In recent months, there has also been a series of arson attacks on military warehouses, through which Ukraine is supported. Hybrid war means a strategy combining military and non-military means. Military operations, limited in scope, are possible, including both provocations and testing of countries, especially on NATO's eastern flank. In this case, geographical proximity is not so important, but what result the operation can bring in terms of the political vulnerability of the countries, the former defense minister also said.