Bulgaria has started equipping its coastal guard with rockets to strengthen the security on its Black Sea coast, Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov said during an online video stream on Facebook in response to questions from citizens on September 7.

He explained that this measure was preventive, so that no potential enemy decides to attack them. Tensions have increased in the Black Sea after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 

Since the start of Russian invasion of Ukraine, Moscow included Bulgaria in the list of unfriendly states along with all other EU members. In July, Nato warned that Russia’s new warning area in the Black Sea is within Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone and poses new risks for miscalculations and escalation.

“At the moment we do not see a direct threat to the Bulgarian ports but one responds to force with a force. That is why we have started acquiring rockets for the coastal guard, so that no one dares to approach our Black Sea towns,” Denkov said.

He added that it is in Bulgaria's interest to support Ukraine so that the Russian aggression stays as far as possible from the country.

“Russian politicians have repeatedly said that after Ukraine the Baltic States and Moldova will follow. It is about time for the Bulgarian citizens to open their eyes that there is one aggressor who wants to restore its imperial influence,” Denkov said.

Shortly after the start of Russian war in Ukraine, the share of Bulgarians supporting Russia and its President Vladimir Putin shrank to historic low of 16%. However, in the following months their share increased to more than 30%. Experts say this was the result of the Russian hybrid war and the strong presence of pro-Russian politicians and parties in the country, including President Rumen Radev, the far-right Vazrazhdane party (the third-largest in parliament) and the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), which is also represented in parliament.