Bulgaria to protect arms factories and depots with anti-drone systems
Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev announced anti-drone defenses and stepped-up patrols after a fire at an EM CO weapons depot.
Bulgaria will outfit key arms-production and storage sites with anti-drone systems and has ordered police to step up patrols around weapons factories and depots, Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev announced.
The decision comes days after a fire broke out at a weapons depot in the village of Belitsa. The facility, run by the company EM CO, said the blaze was the result of sabotage and pointed to more than 10 similar incidents at Bulgarian defence firms since 2011, without identifying any suspects.
EM CO is led by arms trader Emilijan Gebrev. Bulgarian prosecutors have said that Gebrev’s sites were previously targeted in attacks linked to Russian operatives, a concern that has heightened attention on the security of munitions manufacturers.
Immediate measures and wider concerns
Demerdzhiev said the ministry will begin installing counter-drone systems at critical infrastructure locations and will increase police presence at production and storage facilities for weapons and ammunition. The steps are intended to reduce the risk of remote or deliberate interference with sensitive sites.
Officials gave few operational details about the anti-drone equipment or the deployment timetable, but described the move as a preventive security measure following the recent blaze.
Security specialists and industry representatives warn that facilities handling munitions and military hardware are attractive targets and require both technical protections and routine on-site security. The government’s announcement aims to address those vulnerabilities while investigations into recent incidents continue.
Photo: Iks)
