Latest arms plant fire in Bulgaria: President Yotova ‘considering’ calling security council meeting
President Iliana Yotova told reporters on September 12 that she is “considering” convening the Consultative Council on National Security after the recent explosions at the Emco arms plant warehouses in Bulgaria.
A fire broke out at an Emco facility on the night of September 11, and this came after a fire at another Emco plant on August 10.
Opposition coalition Democratic Bulgaria made on September 12 the latest of its series of calls for the head of state to convene the council, which brings together security ministers and agencies, defence leaders and representatives of parliamentary groups.
Democratic Bulgaria suspects that the arms plant fires are linked to Russia’s campaign of sabotage in Europe. Emco provides production for Ukraine’s defence against Russia’s illegal invasion.
Yotova said on September 12: “I will consider this issue, as these cases have become very frequent. Moreover, it is clear that the war is escalating in both the Middle East and Ukraine, and our services must also speak out”.
By law, the Consultative Council on National Security is required to meet at least once every three months.
However, between August 2021 and February 2025 – when Roumen Radev, currently the Prime Minister, was president – it met only five times.
The most recent meeting was about “the risks of spread and use of narcotics and intoxicating substances among abolescents”.
Yotova, who became president in January 2026 when Radev resigned to enter parliamentary politics and who is seeking election as head of state in the autumn, has yet to convene a meeting of the council.
Democratic Bulgaria MP Atanas Atanassov said on September 12 that “the obvious truth is that Bulgaria is the weakest link in the European security system”.
“The Kremlin loves weakness and directs its efforts precisely where it is easiest,” Atanassov said.
He called on Radev to give an explanation in the National Assembly. Atanassov issued a reminder to the Prime Minister that he is responsible for security.
Atanassov said that 33 days after the previous incident, the Emco ammunition depots are burning and exploding again.
He said that this was happening against the backdrop of significant dynamics in Russian subversive activity in Europe in recent months.
The authorities in Bulgaria were neglecting this, Atanassov said, giving the example of Yotova’s constant refusals to convene the Consultative Council on National Security.
