Bulgaria faces “unprecedented increase” in Russian hybrid attacks - foreign minister

Acting Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolay Milkov has said that Russian hybrid attacks have increased.

The increase in hybrid attacks is "aimed at undermining Bulgaria's stability and thereby (its) democratic values and processes," Milkov said during a security conference on April 27, according to the Bulgarian news agency Novinite.

"Russia uses a full arsenal of hybrid tactics, instrumentalization of energy and basic food supplies, cyber activities of control over sensitive technologies, unprecedented strengthening of propaganda aimed at internal political destabilization of our societies — provoking discontent and reducing solidarity with Ukraine," Milkov said.

Milkov added that Bulgaria will reach the 2 per cent threshold of military spending next year.

On March 26, the Computer Emergency Response Team of Ukraine (CERT-UA) registered more than 300 cyber-attacks in the first two months of 2023.

According to the response team, these attacks are a key strategy of Russia's war on Ukraine and have been used to destabilize the country and undermine support for Ukraine.

Neighboring Moldova has also been the target of Russian hybrid attacks aimed at destabilizing the country and decreasing support for Ukraine.