Comment by Emilia Milcheva:
For the second time in 33 days, explosions have set fire to the weapons warehouses of "EMKO", but the authorities do not even dare to admit that it could be a terrorist act or sabotage, behind which a foreign state is standing.
The Minister of Internal Affairs Ivan Demerdzhiev is trying to shift the responsibility for the incidents, which have become more frequent, to the owners. After what happened on the night of September 11 to 12, he discovered "neglect" of the conditions for storing war materials and security measures.
Where are the National Security Agency and the Ministry of Interior
But there was physical security at the site. And the sites of “EMKO“ have been inspected by the Ministry of Interior seven times since the beginning of this year alone - the last time just 20 days before the explosion. No violations were found and this is confirmed by protocols. If the security was neglected, what exactly did the Ministry of Interior inspect? If it wasn't - why is the minister accusing the company even before the investigators have established the cause?
Since 2016, “EMKO”, owned by Emilian Gebrev, has been included in the official list of “strategic sites and activities of importance to national security“, which also includes almost all defense industry enterprises. This means that physical security within the perimeter of the facility is the company's responsibility. The state is responsible for control, counterintelligence protection and the prevention of external encroachments. So Demerdzhiev should not reduce national security to the strength of the fence and the work discipline of the guards.
In a statement after the explosions, “EMKO“ stated that “all similar incidents (in the arms industry, b.a.) since 2011 have been caused by external forces”. The six Russian citizens wanted for four explosions in Bulgarian arms factories, including an EMKO warehouse, in the period 2011-2020, have been brought as defendants specifically for terrorism. In January 2024, the court approved European arrest warrants for them.
Sabotage in Europe
If the current explosions are intentional, the state is not faced with a series of “incidents“, but with possible terrorist acts. This hypothesis means that investigators should not limit themselves to the damage and inspections of ammunition depots, which is what Minister Demerdzhiev gets away with.
It is necessary to look for connections between the individual explosions, a common pattern of penetration and a possible connection with Russian sabotage activity in Europe. European services have been investigating attacks on infrastructure and military supplies for a long time, and the question of whether the explosions in Bulgarian arms factories are part of the same operations must be answered.
There are grounds for such a hypothesis. According to an investigation by the German newspaper "Welt", the explosives for the failed attack on Leipzig Airport were transported via Bulgaria and Serbia, probably hidden in the cavities of trucks. German services have identified two alleged perpetrators - a Belarusian and a Russian. The Russian citizen, who was responsible for the preparation and logistics, is connected to the GRU military intelligence.
On August 4, a drone loaded with about 1.8 kg of "Semtex" reached a Ukrainian "Antonov" transport plane at Leipzig Airport. The charge did not explode only because the detonator broke off. The plane was loaded with about 25,000 liters of kerosene and, according to German investigators, the explosion could have destroyed part of the airport. Germany named Russia and took retaliatory measures. Bulgaria checks the padlocks.
Behind the explosions at “EMKO” sites are intertwined Bulgarian-Russian ties and economic interests, Gebrev told NOVA, whom GRU agents tried to poison in 2015. “Documents are disappearing, the prosecutor's office is covering up everything… Germany itself said that the explosion in the drone in Leipzig came from Bulgaria. We are a broken yard”, said the owner of “EMKO”.
To have or not to have a meeting of the KSNS
After the August explosion at the “EMKO” warehouse; the Gabrovo District Prosecutor's Office continues to collect evidence for “all versions”. A month later there is a new explosion, and instead of reporting on what the services have done after the first, Demerdzhiev promised new inspections after the second. And again he directs the spotlight on underestimating the security measures - "retired guards and some type of cameras". Although the Ministry of Internal Affairs is full of retired employees.
In the event of a justified hypothesis of a terrorist act, the state must activate the National Plan for Countering Terrorism and make a general assessment of the threat. This means coordination between the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the National Security Agency, the Prosecutor's Office and military intelligence, increased security of strategic sites of the military-industrial complex and exchange of information with partner services.
Instead, the president - and presidential candidate - Iliana Yotova hid behind the streamlined "considering" whether to convene the National Security Advisory Council (NSAC). It's as if the question is whether the case deserves a place on its calendar, not whether Bulgaria is the subject of a series of sabotage attacks against its defense industry. Prime Minister Radev prefers to remain silent.
The convening of the NSAC is necessary because it involves the heads of the services, the government, and the leaders of the parliamentary parties. The services will be asked to answer whether there is coordinated sabotage activity against the weapons complex, who is organizing it, and how the state will protect the enterprises. The NSAC can force the institutions to emerge from the comfortable facelessness of "external interference" and say exactly what threat they are investigating. If they investigate at all.
Why don't they want to mention Russia's name
The silence of “Vazrazhdane“ is also indicative. The party didn't find anything to say either after the first or the second explosion. Apparently, national security is a convenient topic as long as the name of Russia doesn't have to be mentioned. If the authorities admit that this is a matter of Russian sabotage, they will have to admit that the arms industry may have been systematically attacked, and the services did not prevent another explosion.
It is easier to check the warehouse guards.