The Bulgarian parliament has voted to transfer to Ukraine an unknown number of unserviceable S-300 surface-to-air missiles that could be repaired there, Sofia Globe, an independent Bulgarian news agency, reported on Sept. 27.
The primary reason for the need to transfer the missiles, argued Parliamentary Defense Committee Head Hristo Gadzhev, was the missiles were too old to be of use to the Bulgarian military, and that even their original manufacturer would be unable to repair them.
Unnamed experts and officials from Bulgaria’s Ministry of Defense claimed that despite their condition, Ukraine’s military would have the ability to render the missiles serviceable, according to online newspaper Ukrainska Pravda.
Bulgaria has previously promised to deliver military equipment and ammunition to Ukraine for similar reasons, including 100 unused armored vehicles that are expensive to store and maintain.
The transfer of military aid to Ukraine has been a contentious issue in Bulgaria, which has long standing historical ties to Russia, and a pro-Kremlin minority in parliament. In November 2022, Bulgaria agreed to send military aid to Ukraine following many months of debate.
In addition, although it was not publicly stated initially, various investigations revealed that Bulgaria was secretly supplying Ukraine with fuel and ammunition in the first few months of the full-scale invasion.
Oleg Sukhov
(Updated: )
