A hundred Bulgarian tanks would head in the direction of Kew, a major first

Purchased in the 1980s, these Soviet-designed BTR armored personnel carriers were never used. “Bulgaria no longer needs this equipment, which could provide valuable support to Ukraine in the war to defend Ukraine’s independence and territorial integrity” against Russia, the text reads. Socialists from the PSB, the successor to the Communist Party that once ruled the country, opposed the decision, as did the young pro-Russian ultra-nationalist organization Vasrajthane (Renaissance), which condemned it as “a betrayal and a disgrace”.

Armed support

Bulgaria, a member of the European Union and NATO, has a large stockpile of Soviet equipment and weapons and also produces ammunition. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also visited Sofia in early July to discuss speeding up supplies. Since the visit, the government has announced an unprecedented aid package, including arms and ammunition, although it did not want to give details because the material is so fragmented in the country.

In practice, however, arms factories have been operating at full capacity since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.