Bulgarian parliament approves transfer of S-300 missiles to be repaired and used in Ukraine
On 27 September, Bulgarian Parliament voted behind closed doors in favour of supplying Ukraine with S-300 missiles that the country is unable to repair on its own. The Bulgarian authorities state that Kyiv would be able to repair and use them for defence purposes.
Source: Sofia Globe, as reported by European Pravda
Details: Before the decision was made, the debate lasted for more than three hours, starting in open session but moving behind closed doors to hear from Brigadier General Petyo Mirchev, the head of the defence department and the second-in-command of the air force.
The exact result of closed voting is not known. It was also not clear why the vote was held behind closed doors, reports Sofia Globe.
Earlier, the Defence Committee of the Bulgarian National Assembly accepted a proposal for Bulgaria to send to Ukraine defective anti-aircraft guided missiles for S-300 systems and 5.56x45 mm ammunition, which are no longer needed by the country's Ministry of Internal Affairs. The decision was made at an extraordinary session of the Assembly.
Experts and the Bulgarian Ministry of Defence say that the missiles cannot be repaired in the country, but Ukraine has such facilities and will be able to fix them.
Reporters had to rely on MRF MP Delyan Peevski to inform them that the decision had passed, despite opposition from the Kremlin-aligned party Vuzrazhdane and the Bulgarian Socialist Party leaving the House during the closed part of the meeting.
Hristo Gadzhev, the chairman of the parliamentary defence committee, stated during the open discussion that the issue involved ammunition that was too old to be repaired even by the manufacturer.
Gadzhev stated that the number of missiles provided to Ukraine will be minimal and won't jeopardise the combat readiness of the Bulgarian army in any way.
Another benefit was that there would no longer be any danger to Bulgarian military personnel from keeping such poor ammunition.
Background: Earlier, the Bulgarian government approved a draft agreement between the Bulgarian Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ukrainian Defence Ministry for the free provision of armoured transport equipment.
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