Ministry of Defense

The President's veto on the Law on the Ratification of the Agreement by which Bulgaria provides APCs to Ukraine free of charge was rejected by the Defense Committee. With 11 votes "for" and 4 "against", the deputies again supported the law.

Bulgaria's Defense Minister, Todor Tagarev, has highlighted the country's significant prospects in drone manufacturing during an interview with Nova TV. Tagarev emphasized that although Bulgaria currently produces limited quantities of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) specifically for military operations, there exists substantial potential in this sector.

Threats also come from groups that support Iran in the midst of Israel's war against Hamas.
The deployment of HMS Diamond, a Type 45 destroyer, comes after Houthi rebels in Yemen hijacked an Israel-linked cargo ship in the Red Sea last week and the US military had to rescue another vessel on Sunday, Sky News reported.

The mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, announced that the Russian Air Defense Forces had destroyed a drone launched by Ukrainian forces towards the Russian capital.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the foreign ministers of the Alliance members reiterated their determination to support Ukraine on its way to the Alliance, as well as its defense in the war with Russia.

In a significant milestone for Bulgaria's military modernization, representatives from the Ministry of Defense and the Bulgarian Air Force recently undertook a comprehensive tour of the Lockheed Martin plant in Greenville, South Carolina. The purpose of the visit was to witness firsthand the advanced stages of assembly for the F-16 Block 70 fighters destined for Bulgaria.

The government adopted an update of the National Plan for the introduction of the euro in Bulgaria.

The changes in the Plan were developed and approved by the Coordination Council for the preparation of Bulgaria for membership in the Eurozone, which is co-chaired by the Minister of Finance and the Governor of the Bulgarian National Bank.

The Greek armed forces are to link with local startups from which they can order advanced equipment and applications, according to draft legislation that will be opened to public consultation next week.

The goal is for the Ministry of Defense to initially invest up to €100 million in innovation over a three-year period through a company it will set up.

Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tîlvăr confirmed that parts of a Russian drone fell on the territory of Romania.

CNN's Antena 3 TV noted that the parts of the drone were found in the area of Plauru settlement in Tulcea county, after Russia carried out several attacks in recent days on the Ukrainian ports of Izmail and Reni, located near the border with Romania.

As the London Guardian writes, the destruction of the Challenger 2 near Robotyne, in the Zaporizhizha region, is the first such incident in the last 30 years in which these tanks have been used in combat, the newspaper reported citing military experts.
Footage from the battlefield that circulated on social media last night shows the destruction of the British Challenger 2.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday that defense minister Oleksii Reznikov will be replaced this week with Rustem Umerov, a Crimean Tatar lawmaker.

Zelensky made the announcement on his official Telegram account, writing that new leadership was needed after Reznikov went through "more than 550 days of full-scale war."