Bulgaria asks NATO for combat jets and anti-drone systems as Poland scrambles fighters

Bulgaria has formally asked NATO to send combat aircraft and anti-drone systems to bolster its defences, Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said on Friday, 16 October, as concern grows along the alliance’s eastern flank, Al Jazeera reported citing AP and Reuters.

Bulgaria’s request

• “We have sent letters and a request to the NATO Secretary General and the Supreme Allied Commander,” Stoyanov said, adding that this also means deploying additional forces on Bulgarian territory.
• Prime Minister Rumen Radev said evidence pointed to Russia over recent ship attacks but that his government does not have proof.
• Drones have struck at least seven cargo ships off the Black Sea coasts of Romania and Bulgaria in recent weeks, leaving 25 people dead or missing. A vessel sank off Bulgaria on Tuesday, prompting Sofia to summon Russia’s ambassador.
• Bulgaria, which has proposed a moratorium on attacks on civilian ships in the Black Sea, expects to join a NATO anti-drone initiative by the end of October. Romania’s president has also asked for extra equipment.
• NATO did not immediately respond to a request for comment, Reuters said.

Poland on alert

Poland’s armed forces scrambled fighter jets overnight as Russian strikes hit western Ukraine close to the Polish border; no violation of Polish airspace was recorded. Strikes on Ukraine’s Volyn region cut power to about 370,000 people, its governor said. In Kharkiv, a drone attack killed three people.

Russia said it shot down 644 Ukrainian drones overnight, 94 of them heading for Moscow.