Bulgaria Delays Delivery of 100 Armored Vehicles to Ukraine Due to Transport Costs

The delivery of 100 armoured personnel carriers promised by Bulgaria to the Ukrainian army is delayed due to the unresolved issue of covering the cost of transportation, BPE reports.

On the eve of the cabinet rotation, "friendly discontent" is brewing against Defence Minister Todor Tagarev and his ministry. 

Criticism of the minister is increasingly heard in the circles of Continuing Changes - Democratic Bulgaria, including today - in line with what the Ministry of Defence is doing to provide military assistance to Ukraine.    

According to the MPs, the Bulgarian Ministry of Defence has asked NATO to cover the transport costs of the APCs.

"Bulgaria can help, but it is not happening at the necessary pace, and I hope that the situation will improve. We voted for the decision on armoured personnel carriers almost three months ago, but we still cannot transport a hundred APCs from Sofia to Ruse (a city on the Danube River in northeastern Bulgaria - Ed.)," said MP Ivailo Mirchev of the We Continue to Change - Democratic Bulgaria party.

Bulgaria's Defence Minister Todor Tagarev said the delay was due to Sofia checking whether NATO allies could fund the transport.

"This is not an elementary transport operation, because numerous trains have to be involved," the minister said.

He explained that the logistics are complex, and the efforts of the Bulgarian side are "highly appreciated by the Ukrainian side."

Tagarev has previously said that the transport of the APCs would be expensive, so Bulgaria is looking for Ukraine's allies to finance the operation.

In November 2023, Bulgaria's National Assembly ratified an intergovernmental agreement between Sofia and Kyiv that regulates the transfer of 100 decommissioned armoured personnel carriers from the Bulgarian Ministry of the Interior to Ukraine.