Balgarianovinite.com Speaking in a televised interview on Saturday, Transport Minister Georgi Peev said that he has zero doubt that the Russian Il-76 aircraft was used for purposes other than those for which it had been authorized.
Commenting on former Defence Minister Todor Tagarev’s allegation that the aircraft had been collecting intelligence, Minister Peev said that if someone wants to find a conspiracy somewhere, they can always find one. According to him, if people start embracing conspiracy theories about the 1.2 million aircraft that pass through Bulgaria’s airspace each year, they could reach endless levels of fantasy.
Peev added that there are regulations governing such flights, explaining that there is an EU regulation prohibiting Russian airlines from taking off, landing, or flying through European airspace. However, there is an exception under which flights may be permitted in certain cases, such as humanitarian missions or firefighting missions, which is the purpose of the current flight.
An aircraft used for disaster response and emergency operations carried out a humanitarian flight, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) told the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) on 19 August in response to an inquiry about a Russian flight over Bulgaria en route to Serbia. The overflight was authorized following a diplomatic note from the Serbian authorities in connection with the wildfires in Serbia, the MFA said.
Peev also said that a comprehensive set of information required for issuing the overflight authorization had been submitted. All of the necessary procedures had been completed, and the flight was approved because it was intended to assist in firefighting operations in Serbia. He added that the fires were located close to Bulgaria’s territory, noting the air pollution that had affected Sofia.
Peev further explained that, once the authorization is issued, the airline itself files a flight plan, which is then submitted to Brussels.
Responding to claims that the aircraft had deviated from its flight plan, Peev said that this information was false. He added that if an aircraft deviates from the route assigned by air traffic control, a special procedure is immediately initiated. Under that procedure, it is even possible to launch an Air Policing mission, during which the aircraft could be intercepted by Bulgarian fighter jets.
Transport Minister Denies Allegations Russian Il-76 Aircraft Was Collecting Intelligence 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-08-22 10:24:00
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