European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s visit to Bulgaria’s largest state-owned arms producer on Sunday drew protests from nationalist parties, laying bare domestic tensions over the country’s burgeoning role as a hub for arms production.
The Commission chief was set to accompany Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov to the country’s largest state military enterprise, VMZ Sopot, to discuss issues related to European security and to tour the plant’s facilities.
But protesters from the far-right Revival party and the nationalist Velichie party gathered outside the plant’s entrance to demonstrate their antipathy to the EU visit.
Kostadin Kostadinov, the leader of Revival who has previously spoken of Bulgaria’s withdrawal from NATO, was filmed blocking a civilian car from entering the plant, according to a report by Mediapool.
The visit to Bulgaria’s state-owned arms manufacturer comes on the heels of an announcement by Germany’s defense company Rheinmetall that it would build two new factories in the Balkan nation, including expanding facilities at Sopot, to establish Bulgaria as Europe’s largest gunpowder manufacturer.
During the Cold War, Bulgaria emerged as one of the Warsaw Pact’s major arms producers, specializing in small arms, ammunition and light armored vehicles. But the collapse of the Soviet Union sent the sector into steep decline, shuttering many state-owned factories.Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has since breathed new life into Bulgaria’s defense industry, turning the country into a crucial supplier of Soviet-standard ammunition for Kyiv — and reviving once-idle plants and regions.
“The propaganda that the government is currently trying to put forward that there is about to be some sort of economic boom is completely untrue,” Kostadinov told reporters. “Will this plant be beneficial to us? We know gunpowder production is dangerous and dirty work. Why does Bulgaria not invest in military mobility or military electronics? Instead our country is for dangerous material,” he said.
Meanwhile, supporters of Velichie brandished axes in a livestream broadcast stating that they were “the bouquet that von der Leyen deserved.” The protests come on the back of a strong national anti-euro demonstrations.
Von der Leyen is on a seven-country tour of the so-called front-line states to reassure them of the EU’s support against Russian aggression. In addition to Bulgaria, which borders the Black Sea, the Commission chief has visited Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and Poland — all of which share a border with Russia or Belarus. On Monday, she will travel to Romania and Lithuania.
Her trip coincides with increased efforts by U.S. President Donald Trump to broker a ceasefire in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine, now in its fourth year.
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