Bulgarian minister says pledged armored vehicles bound for Ukraine

Months after approval by Bulgaria's parliament and government, 100 armored vehicles once belonging to the country's Interior Ministry are now en route to Ukraine, Defense Minister Todor Tagarev said on Feb. 2 in a Facebook post.

The suggestion to dispatch the armored personnel carriers, acquired during the final years of Bulgaria's communist regime, was made public on July 13, 2023, and ratified by the National Assembly on July 21. The government granted approval for the transfer agreement on Aug. 4.

Bulgaria's parliament approved two tranches of military aid to Ukraine on Dec. 8, including the delivery of 100 older armored vehicles from the Interior Ministry's stocks together with armaments and spare parts, free of charge. The decision to send the vehicles overrode a veto by Bulgarian President Rumen Radev.

Tagarev didn't provide any details to the photos of the armored vehicles he posted online.

Bulgaria has become increasingly supportive of Ukraine as the war has progressed. Almost 65% of Bulgarians polled in June 2023 supported Ukraine's accession to the EU, and 64% were in favor of supplying military aid.

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The Kyiv IndependentAlexander Query