Presidential elections in Bulgaria: turnout by 16:00 stood at just 15.95%

By 16:00 (17:00 Moscow time), approximately 1.06 million voters, 15.95% of those eligible to vote, had cast their ballots in the Bulgarian presidential election. These figures were provided by the Central Election Commission.

Bulgaria will not participate in the new aid package for Ukraine, Radev stated

Bulgaria will not participate in the new 70-billion-euro aid package requested by Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a meeting of the European Council, stated Prime Minister Rumen Radev.

Unidentified individuals set fire to 11 of the 17 Starlink antennas in Bulgaria

An apparent arson attack targeting Starlink satellite communication antennas has taken place at a secret facility near Sofia, Bulgaria. Ivaylo Mirchev, co-chair of the "Yes, Bulgaria" party, stated that perpetrators damaged 11 of the 17 SpaceX antennas by setting them on fire.

Fire broke out at ammunition depot in Bulgaria and spread to two other facilities

The fire occurred near the village of Gorni Varpishta in the Gabrovo region. There are a total of 11 warehouses on the complex's premises.

Bulgaria’s premier says military efforts to resolve Ukraine war risk dangerous escalation

Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev on Friday warned that attempts to resolve the war in Ukraine through military means risk dangerous escalation, calling for “reason, dialogue, a ceasefire and a return to the negotiating table,” according to Bulgarian news agency BTA.

Bulgaria says US military aircraft flew only to NATO countries for exercises

Two US military tanker aircraft recently stationed at Bulgaria’s Bezmer Air Base conducted flights only to NATO countries for exercises and training, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said Monday.

Bulgarian parliament overrides presidential veto on bill of Lukoil assets sale

The Bulgarian parliament urgently considered and successfully overrode the presidential veto on the bill of investments pertaining to terms of the potential sale of Russian company Lukoil’s assets in the country.

Russia has nothing to do with GPS failure on von der Leyen's plane — Kremlin

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied Russia’s involvement in the failure of GPS navigation systems on the plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Sweden intercepts Bulgarian ship over damaged Baltic cable

The Swedish coast guard chased and intercepted a Bulgarian ship after a fiber-optic cable under the Baltic Sea linking Sweden to Latvia was damaged, its owner said on Monday.

Romania, Bulgaria join Schengen zone after 13-year wait

Romania and Bulgaria became full members of the Schengen zone, expanding the borderless area to 29 members and ending a 13-year wait for the two eastern European countries.

Israel’s explosive gadget operation in Lebanon took 15 years of preparation — ABC

Israel’s operation to manufacture gadgets, which exploded on the Lebanese territory earlier this week, took 15 years, the ABC television channel reported citing anonymous sources.

Japanese company denies making Hezbollah's exploding walkie-talkies

The Japanese maker of the brand of walkie-talkies linked to explosions targeting the Hezbollah armed group that killed 20 people in Lebanon and injured hundreds of others suggested that counterfeit models could have been used in the attacks.

Romania to seek EU compensation for East-West energy price gap

Romania will ask the Council for compensation for the much higher energy prices in its region compared to Western Europe, Romanian Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja said on Thursday, confirming his Greek counterpart’s words that his country had joined forces with Greece and Bulgaria.

Bulgaria gives Ukraine Gvozdika howitzers

Bulgaria has given Ukraine Gvozdika howitzers, Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov told reporters.

Bulgaria, Romania take first steps into Europe’s passport-free zone

Bulgaria and Romania joined Europe’s Schengen area of free movement on Sunday (31 Marc), opening up travel by air and sea without border checks after a 13-year wait.

Bulgarian president vetoes agreement with Ukraine on supply of armored personnel carriers

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev has vetoed an agreement for the donation of the Bulgarian Interior Ministry’s surplus armored personnel carriers to Ukraine, which had been approved by the Bulgarian parliament on November 22, the presidential press service reported.

Lavrov’s flight back from Skopje to Moscow via Greece not Bulgaria

The plane of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who attended the OSCE Ministerial Council in Skopje, has returned to Moscow, flying through the airspace of Greece and Turkey, according to the Flightradar24 live flight tracker.

Kremlin called Bulgaria's ban on the flight of a plane carrying Zakharova stupid

Presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov called Bulgaria's ban on the flight of a plane with Russian Foreign Ministry representative Maria Zakharova on board “absurd and stupid.” The press secretary said this during a briefing for journalists.

Russian diplomat slams Bulgaria banning her flight as ‘dangerous folly’

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has slammed Bulgaria’s decision not to let Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s plane fly over its territory if she is onboard as a "dangerous folly."

Drone carrying mortar shell falls on Bulgaria's Black Sea coast

 A drone with an 82-mm mortar shell attached to it was found on the coast near the village of Tyulenovo on Bulgaria's northern Black Sea coast, Bulgarian National Radio reported.