How much money has Bulgaria received from deals to exchange old Soviet equipment to provide to Ukraine? Hundreds of millions, says the Ministry of Defense's response to a question from the State Gazette.
"Over 200 million euros"
"The funds returned to the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Bulgaria under the European Peace Facility (EPF) for 2025 and 2026 amount to 3,019,767 euros", the Ministry of Defense wrote to our editorial office. And they add: "As a result of trilateral deals, over 200 million euros have been received in the budget of the Ministry of Defense, with more than half of the amount subsequently going to cover the deficit in the state budget."
As early as February 2025, the then Minister of Defense Atanas Zapryanov stated that Bulgaria had received 348 million leva from Denmark as compensation for the military aid that the state had provided to Ukraine.
"The money goes to the treasury"
This information practically refutes the suggestions that the aid was gratuitous or that Bulgaria suffered "socio-economic damage from this war". As former Foreign Minister Nadezhda Neynski emphasized to the State Duma, "aid to Ukraine does not reduce the capabilities of the Bulgarian army, but increases it, because we are replacing old weapons with new ones", and "the money goes to the treasury".
Bulgaria's military industry has reached over 4% of GDP in recent years and is among the main reasons for the growth of the country's economy. According to data from the Ministry of Economy, as of September last year, Bulgaria has exported weapons worth over 13 billion leva since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. "There must have been no one left unemployed in the Balkans. The factories are attracting workers from other regions, salaries are rising," commented Prof. Todor Tagarev to the State Duma.
When asked if Bulgaria is not contributing to the aid to Ukraine with its contributions as part of the EU, the Ministry of Defense replied: "Bulgaria is making all contributions due to the EU, and is not blocking the initiatives taken by the other member states."
Author: Alexander Detev