Ammunition depot of a company supplying weapons to Ukraine exploded in Bulgaria
Explosions and a fire occurred at the EMCO ammunition depot in Bulgaria. According to the mayor of Trávna, Dencho Minev, the fire at the depot has already been extinguished, all employees of the enterprise have been evacuated, and no one was injured, The Moscow Times writes .
Due to the smoke, authorities urged residents of nearby settlements to close windows, use protective masks, and avoid going outside unnecessarily. Some settlements located near the enterprise were evacuated.
Bulgarian Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev stated that preliminary findings suggest internal factors may have caused the incident. Authorities are also taking measures to prevent the fire from spreading to other buildings.
EMCO company belongs to Bulgarian arms dealer Emilian Gebrev, who also manufactures weapons. In 2021, he stated that his company had been supplying military equipment to Ukraine after 2014. According to information provided to The New York Times by Ukrainian officials, EMCO signed a contract to supply artillery ammunition to Ukraine as early as 2014.
Bulgaria continues to produce Soviet-era ammunition. According to estimates by Bulgarian authorities, the country accounts for approximately one-third of the cartridges and shells of this type used by Ukrainian military personnel in the war against Russia. A significant portion of this production goes to countries that transfer their own weapons stockpiles to Ukraine.
Bulgarian Defense Minister Todor Tagarev previously stated that more than half of Bulgaria's ammunition production is directly or indirectly sent to Ukraine. A significant portion of these supplies comes from EMCO.
Explosions at Bulgarian ammunition depots have been repeatedly subject to investigations. In 2011, an explosion occurred at a depot in Lavnidol, in 2015 — at depots in Iganovo, and in 2020 — at a facility in Mogilino. Bulgarian law enforcement agencies investigated the possible involvement of Russian special services in these incidents. In 2021, the prosecution announced suspicions against six Russian citizens.
Additionally, on July 31, 2022, and June 25, 2023, explosions occurred at EMCO depots near Karnobat. Both cases were also investigated by the Bulgarian prosecutor's office.
Emilian Gebrev himself previously stated that in 2015, two attempts were made to poison him with a substance similar to the Novichok nerve agent. The entrepreneur linked these attempts to the activities of Russian special services.
After the Belarusian village, the Schneiders are no longer bothered by the LGBT issue. The German family, who became propaganda heroes, returns to the EU 2828
Comments