EU Urges Bulgaria to Help Identify Those Behind Black Sea Drone Attacks

Bulgaria needs to take a more active role in identifying those responsible for drone attacks near Byala if it wants the European Union to impose sanctions on the perpetrators, EU officials in Brussels told Bulgarian media Club Z.

The European External Action Service (EEAS) presented ambassadors from EU member states with a new package of 12 proposed sanctions against Russia on the previous day, in response to recent hybrid attacks, including a drone incident in Leipzig in early August. This prompted questions about whether similar measures were being considered over the Black Sea incidents on October 6.

“For sanctions in the Council of the EU, Member States expect to be more active in trying to identify the perpetrators of the hybrid attacks and then propose legal entities and names to make progress,” the Brussels representatives told Club Z.

The EEAS proposal is expected to be discussed at the Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg on October 12, but Brussels stressed that this does not mean sanctions related to the activity will be adopted at that meeting.

The EU Council could also approve 1,569 proposed listings submitted last month. These include 743 individuals and 826 organizations, along with 77 additional entries connected to Russia’s parliamentary elections in September. The latter group includes candidates who took part in voting in Ukrainian territories illegally occupied by Russia, as well as several elected officials.

EU member states are also discussing ways to reduce the number of Russian diplomats in the bloc, according to the sources. The aim is to sharply restrict or even stop Russian hybrid attacks across the EU. Tightening existing visa restrictions for Russian citizens is under consideration for the same purpose of limiting subversive activity.

“We see how Russians are involved in hybrid attacks. We need to carefully examine how much they can travel around Europe. Some may be in good faith, but we need to examine them more seriously. The perpetrators of hybrid activity are mostly people around international organizations based in European capitals, accredited Russian diplomats. We also have a problem with ex-combatants from the war with Ukraine and we need to study the military files of visa applicants. Especially for fighters, we expect an agreement soon,” the Brussels representatives said.

They emphasized that substantial work remained, adding that the measures were not intended to punish the Russian population as a whole, but to strengthen the EU’s protection through visa controls.