Igor FedykAccording to Bulgarian Defense Minister Todor Tagarev, his country is holding talks with NATO allies on the way to respond to Russian provocations in the Black Sea, in particular, to Russia’s partial blockade of its exclusive economic zone.
According to the Bulgarian Ministry of Defense, the naval forces of Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey have increased their vigilance, continuing to carry out tasks with their own forces and means to ensure the safety of merchant ships passing through the Black Sea. At the same time, the military department notes that additional measures to ensure shipping safety in economic zones “can only be provided by NATO action, by the United Nations Charter and international maritime law, coordinated with other partners in the region.”
“The Bulgarian position regarding security in the Black Sea has always been based on the principle of allied solidarity, allied actions, and allied guarantees within the framework of NATO. When making such an alliance decision, Bulgaria would contribute according to its capabilities,” the Bulgarian military department’s position regarding Russia’s actions in the Black Sea says.
Also, according to Todor Tagarev, there are currently no legal reasons for coordinating the routes of cargo ships carrying grain through Bulgaria’s EEZ.
Comment
To counter navigation in the Black Sea, in particular, the movement of cargo ships to and from Ukrainian ports, the Russian Navy resorts to tricks. For two months already, under the pretext of conducting naval exercises, they have blocked ¾ of the total area of Bulgaria’s EEZ, through which sea routes to Ukrainian ports pass. The problem here is that Russia’s actions are not prohibited by international law. The Bulgarian military themselves say that although such actions are not considered good practice, they are not a formal violation of international law.
Russia is unlikely to dare to attack ships sailing in Bulgarian territorial waters or under its flag, as this would mean a direct conflict with NATO. Nevertheless, saber-rattling in a NATO member state’s EEZ allows the Kremlin to create problems for shipping in the Black Sea, as well as a picture for domestic Russian audiences in which Russia has complete control over the Black Sea and its cargo traffic.
Russia’s actions in Bulgaria’s EEZ are as open provocation as its other similar actions in the Black Sea. Such as, for example, the downing of the US MQ-9 Reaper drone in March of this year, the attack of the Russian Su-27 on the British KC-135 reconnaissance plane in September of last year, or the recent fall of the Shahed drones on the territory of Romania.
There is an explanation for why Russia allows itself to carry out such provocations. First, it is the actual NATO’s self-removal from the Black Sea. Secondly, it is the reluctance of the Alliance to take any actions that could lead to a military confrontation with Russia. Given this, Bulgaria’s response to Russia’s provocations in its EEZ will most likely remain at the level of statements by the Ministry of Defense or the government and the aforementioned “increased vigilance” of the Bulgarian Navy.
The statement that additional measures to ensure shipping safety in economic zones “can only be provided by NATO action, by the United Nations Charter and international maritime law, coordinated with other partners in the region” just emphasizes that there will be no independent and sharp moves towards Russia from the side of Bulgaria. Like Romania in the case of the Shahed drones, Bulgaria will follow the generally accepted tacit approach in NATO to respond to Russia’s provocations, which currently means avoiding the kind of reactions that would force the Alliance to take steps that would pose a threat of any military confrontation with Russia.
Nevertheless, even such a weighed reaction from the Bulgarian side is quite important. The fact that Russia’s provocative actions are not passed over in silence and are called by their names, and attempts to respond to them are being made – is already great progress for this country. If previous interim governments were in power in Bulgaria, they would hardly have demonstrated such a reaction. This is confirmed by the fact that President Rumen Radev, known for his sympathy for Russia and reluctance to provide weapons to Ukraine, who appointed and de facto ruled the interim governments, still has not reacted in any way to what Russia is doing in the EEZ of his country.