- Former president Rosen Plevneliev, four former prime ministers and senior security figures have signed an appeal calling for stronger national preparedness
- The signatories link recent Black Sea incidents to the need for better surveillance, counter drone capabilities and closer NATO coordination
- The appeal does not signal a new political alliance, but brings security issues into the final days of the presidential campaign
A public appeal signed on 15 October by former president Rosen Plevneliev, former prime ministers Boyko Borisov, Ivan Kostov, Kiril Petkov and Nikolay Denkov, former ministers, senior reserve officers, diplomats and public figures has placed Black Sea security at the centre of Bulgaria’s presidential campaign. The document calls for stronger protection of Bulgaria’s maritime and air space, faster development of counter drone capabilities, improved coordination between the armed forces and civilian institutions, and deeper cooperation with NATO and EU partners. Its central argument is that Bulgaria needs credible preparedness if it is to prevent a wider regional crisis from affecting its territory, infrastructure and citizens. The appeal comes after the attacks on commercial vessels in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone on 6 October, further attacks near the Bulgarian coast on 13 October, and the Romanian F 16 interception of two attack drones over the Black Sea on 17 October. The individual incidents remain under investigation and should not be treated as conclusively attributed without verified evidence. Their strategic effect, however, is already clear. Commercial shipping, coastal infrastructure and the credibility of allied deterrence have become immediate concerns for Bulgaria rather than distant consequences of the war in Ukraine.
The timing is also significant because Bulgarian authorities are investigating the deliberate arson of antennas linked to the Starlink satellite network at a site in the Sofia area. A final attribution has not been announced, and the case should not automatically be presented as connected to the maritime incidents. Yet it underlines a broader vulnerability. Critical infrastructure can be disrupted by relatively low cost acts with consequences that extend beyond the immediate site of an attack. This is the context in which the appeal rejects the idea that Bulgaria can reduce its exposure through a lower political profile, strategic ambiguity or the hope that distance from Ukraine, the EU and NATO will provide greater security. Its authors argue instead that restraint without capability may increase vulnerability. Bulgaria has every interest in preventing escalation in the Black Sea, but the signatories present surveillance, preparedness and allied coordination as necessary measures for protecting national interests.
The appeal enters the campaign less than a week before Bulgaria votes on 25 October, when the candidate field is already established. We Continue the Change (WCC) and Democratic Bulgaria support the independent ticket of Andrey Gyurov and Georgi Kandev. Gyurov is a former caretaker prime minister, former deputy governor of the Bulgarian National Bank and former leader of WCC’s parliamentary group, giving the democratic and pro European camp a clearly defined candidate. GERB is not fielding a ticket. Boyko Borissov argued that a separate GERB candidacy would split the pro European right, while efforts to unite the right around a single candidate did not produce an agreed common nomination. The appeal should not be interpreted as a step towards a shared GERB and WCC presidential candidate or a revived governing partnership. Its significance is different. Figures associated with both camps, despite their continuing political differences, have adopted similar language on deterrence, Bulgaria’s Euro Atlantic orientation and the need for a more active role in Black Sea security.
Nikolay Nenchev, the former defence minister and presidential candidate of the Bulgarian Agrarian National Union (BZNS), is also among the signatories, giving the appeal a direct link to the race. Its practical effect may be to increase pressure on all candidates to give specific answers on Bulgaria’s maritime and air surveillance, counter drone capacity, protection of ports and communications infrastructure, and cooperation with Romania, Türkiye, NATO and the EU. The appeal will not determine the election on its own, nor does it create a new political bloc. It does, however, give the final days of the campaign a clearer security test: whether candidates can move beyond broad statements about foreign policy and explain how they would use the presidency to strengthen Bulgaria’s preparedness and strategic coordination.