Russia’s FSB secret service claims the explosives in the Kerch bridge attack came from Bulgaria. But why should Moscow seek Sofia’s involvement?
What does Bulgaria have to do with the explosives that went off in a truck on October 8, 2022 on the Kerch bridge between Russia and the Crimean peninsula? Did the truck come from Bulgaria, as Moscow claimed on 10/11? Or did “only” the explosives pass through Bulgaria, as claimed on 12/10 by the Russian FSB secret service.
A few days earlier, Moscow again claimed something different: That is, that “the explosives were hidden in polyethylene construction materials weighing 22,770 kg and were transported under contract number 02/08/2022 between the companies “Translogistic UA” (Kiev) and “Baltex Capital” SA” (Ruse) from the port of Odessa to the Bulgarian city of Ruse. From there they were transferred to the port of Poti in Georgia.
It is obvious that Moscow is trying to involve Bulgaria in the attack on the bridge over the Kerch Strait. On the afternoon of October 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the truck with the explosives had left Bulgaria. An investigation by the Bulgarian authorities, including the DANS intelligence service, however, came to a different conclusion. Interim Prime Minister Galap Donov announced on the evening of October 11 that the truck in question never passed through Bulgaria.
For such an explosion military explosives are required
Odessa (Ukraine), Ruse on the Danube (Bulgaria), Poti (Georgia), Armenia: According to the FSB, this was the route taken by the explosive device. Timohir Betslov, a security expert at the Center for the Study of Democracy think tank in Sofia, has serious doubts about the Russian claims. He tells DW that “it is completely unclear how the explosives got from Odessa to Ruse and from there through the port of Varna in Georgia.”
The fact that in August 2022 the level in the Danube between Bulgaria and Romania was extremely low, breaking a historical record, refutes what the Russians claim. During this period, even ships with Ukrainian grain for export did not pass through the border town of Ruse, on the Bulgarian-Romanian border. “Furthermore, the FSB does not provide any information on how the cargo was transported from Ruse to Varna, from where the ferries go to Georgia,” emphasizes Timohir Betslov.
According to the FSB the cargo in the truck weighed more than 22 tons. How much of it consisted of explosives? Gustav Gressel, an expert on military issues at the European Council on Foreign Relations, estimates: “If the photos published by Moscow of the explosion are correct, then the explosives must have had enormous power. Large quantities of military explosives are therefore required rather than some improvised device. The volume of explosives is close to two tons.”
Truck or explosives crossed many borders
Russia’s FSB secret service claims that around two tonnes of explosives were transported from Ukraine first to the EU and from there to Georgia, Armenia, North Ossetia and Russia, without being detected by X-rays, customs or sniffer dogs. According to Gustav Gressel, such an eventuality is almost impossible: “It is inexplicable how such a significant amount of explosives is planned to pass through so many borders at a time when the risk of detection is very high. It’s absurd!”
It is puzzling why Moscow continues to seek Bulgaria’s involvement in the attack on the Kerch Strait bridge: “Russia desperately needs a ‘traitor’ in NATO’s ranks, and Bulgaria is one of the alliance’s weakest members.” explains Timohir Betslov, to add that in Bulgaria there are
DW – Christopher Nering/ Stefanos Georgakopoulos
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I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
