Bulgaria investigates fire at weapons site that owner calls sabotage
Bulgarian authorities are investigating a fire at an ammunition storage facility owned by EMCO, a company that supplies weapons to Ukraine. The company's owner, Emilian Gebrev, has characterized the incident as an act of sabotage, citing a history of similar attacks on the Bulgarian defense industry.
Why it matters
The incident underscores the vulnerability of European defense supply chains and the ongoing geopolitical tensions involving Russian influence in Eastern Europe.
Image source, Reuters Image caption, Fire and smoke rise at EMCO's ammunition storage facility near Gorni Varpishta in central Bulgaria
Bulgaria is investigating the cause of an overnight fire at an ammunition storage site run by a private defence company.
Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev said the authorities "are not ruling out outside interference" in the incident in central Bulgaria. No-one was injured in the blaze that triggered a series of explosions.
EMCO company, whose weapons are used by Ukraine against invading Russian forces, said the fire at its site was sabotage and that human error was "completely ruled out". It did not say who might be responsible.
The latest incident follows last month's fire and blasts at another EMCO ammunition warehouse in the area.
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