Bulgarian Foreign Minister: Bulgaria faces 'unprecedented increase' in Russian hybrid attacks

Acting Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolay Milkov said Russian hybrid attacks have increased, according to Bulgarian news agency Novinite.

The increase in hybrid attacks is "aimed at undermining Bulgaria's stability and thereby (its) democratic values and processes," Milkov said during a security conference on April 27.

"Russia uses a full arsenal of hybrid tactics, instrumentalization of energy and basic food supplies, cyber activities of control over sensitive technologies, unprecedented strengthening of propaganda aimed at internal political destabilization of our societies — provoking discontent and reducing solidarity with Ukraine," Milkov said.

Milkov added that Bulgaria will reach the 2 percent threshold of military spending next year.

On March 26, the Computer Emergency Response Team of Ukraine (CERT-UA) registered more than 300 cyber attacks in the first two months of 2023.

According to the response team, these attacks are a key strategy of Russia's war on Ukraine and have been used to destabilize the country and undermine support for Ukraine.

Neighboring Moldova has also been the target of Russian hybrid attacks aimed at destabilizing the country and decreasing support for Ukraine.