Poisoning of an arms dealer in Bulgaria, explosions, Russian agents… | – #Poisoning #arms #dealer #Bulgaria #explosions #Russian #agents..
Shortly after sunset on March 21, 2015, the sky above Bulgaria’s largest and last state-owned weapons factory began to resemble a battlefield.
A giant at the VMZ plant fire destroyed a large amount of weapons and ammunition, frightened the inhabitants of the city of Sopot and neighboring settlements located in the central part of Bulgaria, at the foot of the Balkan mountains.
The mayor of the nearby town of Karlovo Emil Kabaivanov 20Describes a fire rising to 0 meters as follows: “You could see something explode in the air.”
Less than a month after the incident, on April 14, new explosions took place at the VMZ and the plant was further damaged.
Another two weeks passed Bulgarian arms dealer Emilian Gebrev He was poisoned and fell into a coma. He said some state investigators linked her poisoning to spoiled salad and “other ridiculous claims.”
All three incidents affecting the Bulgarian arms industry were links in a chain of events that began more than a decade ago. These events intensified after Russia invaded and annexed Crimea in 2014.
“I can’t say whether this is the work of Russia or someone else. But when you think about it, you see that it is absolutely possible.” – Former mayor of Sopot Veselin Lichev he says.
Since 2014, incidents, some of which have resulted in deaths, have occurred in Bulgaria NATO together with its members coincided with the provision of weapons and equipment to Ukraine. Including Bulgaria, after Russia launched a full-scale attack on Ukraine a year ago NATO The supply of arms to Ukraine by its members has increased sharply.
According to reports after the explosions, ammunition to be sent to Ukraine was stored at the VMZ. This is Bulgaria military would deliver ammunition to Ukraine with the help of intermediaries such as Poland and the Czech Republic.
Bulgaria’s slow, half-hearted investigation raises suspicions that the government is unwilling to fully investigate Russian involvement in these events.
In some cases, evidence has emerged proving that what happened was sabotage by Russia.
“I `m very anxious”, – a former member of parliament elected from the pro-European “Democratic Bulgaria” alliance Martin Dimitrov He said in an interview with the Bulgarian service of RFE/RL. He explained what had happened “national he called it a security issue.
“If we allow people who commit sabotage and are not held accountable by the state to come to the country, this sabotage will continue until countermeasures are taken, unless we defend ourselves.” – he said.
Dimitrov and former Defense Minister Velizar Shalamanov To review the investigations of the General Prosecutor’s Office regarding the explosions, as well as to investigate the allegations that the Bulgarian security services covered up the perpetrators, a special parliament called for the meeting of the committee.
“If we are in a vulnerable situation due to people with unproven integrity, who have certain weaknesses and therefore put foreign interests before the interests of Bulgaria, we can expect such provocations to happen again in the future,” Dimitrov says.
Critics like Dimitrov say Bulgarian investigators have done little to find those responsible for the bombings and other attacks. On April 28, 2015, arms dealer Gebrev fell into a coma. One of the final conclusions of the prosecutor’s office Russia agent is said to have painted an unknown phosphorous organic substance on the door handle of his car.
But for more than three years, investigators have been slow to link Gebrev’s near-fatal poisoning to pesticide-laced arugula salad.
Only British investigators Gebrev’s poisoning 2018in Salisbury, England, in Russia’s GRU military Bulgarian prosecutors openly admitted that the matter was more serious after the intelligence agency linked it to the “Novichok” attack committed by its agents.
2020In , Bulgarian officials three Russia They charged the citizen with attempted murder of Gebrev. The name of these persons Denis Sergeyev (aka Sergey Fedotov), Yegor Gordiyenko (aka Georgy Gorshkov) and Sergey Lutenkostop (aka Sergey Pavlov).
Britain the police say that he has Sergeyev in his hands 2018A former Russian spy in Sergei Skripalthere is evidence that it is related to poisoning. Talk to GRU employees Anatoly Chepiga and Alexander Mishkin Salisbury “Novichok” attack allegedly committed by
In July 2022, Russia President Vladimir PutinA few months after the attack on Ukraine, an ammunition depot belonging to EMCO, one of Gebrev’s companies, exploded in the city of Karnobat.
Gebrev said that Russian agents were behind the Karnobat fire.10He openly declared that he is 0 percent sure. However, he later told RFE/RL that he had no evidence to confirm this. of any part of the ammunition in the carnobat Ukraine It is not known whether it is intended for.
Former Prime Minister of Bulgaria Kirill Petkov Sofia in the early stages of the Russian attack of Ukraine intended for protection military means it provides 1/3 of the ammo.
The arms industry of Bulgaria Ukraine is one of the main producers of Soviet-era weapons and ammunition widely used in the army.
“Bulgaria [silah] industry has proved how important it is both in the past and in the current era of this senseless war. How many former Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact countries can boast of maintaining such an industry? There are very few of them.” – says Gebrev.
It happened six years ago in the ammunition depots fire and almost all of the explosions were dismissed as accidents by Bulgarian officials. However, six years after the VMZ explosions, many of those officials were forced to reconsider these incidents.