Rumen Radev
Rumen Radev is a Bulgarian politician who has served as President of Bulgaria since January 2017, after winning re-election for a second term in 2021. Before entering politics he was a military officer in the Bulgarian Air Force, eventually serving as Commander of the Air Force. He is known for his pro-Western and pro-NATO stance, and has positioned himself as a critic of the previous GERB-led government on issues of corruption and governance.
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Bulgaria holds presidential election with Yotova and Gyurov leading runoff race
Bulgaria held a presidential election on October 25, 2026, with acting president Iliana Yotova and former acting prime minister Andrey Gyurov leading a field of 27 candidates. Pre-election polls put Yotova and Gyurov well short of the majority required in the first round, making a November 1 runoff likely. The campaign focused on Ukraine, Black Sea security, inflation and rising fuel prices.
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Coalition of the Willing to rehearse Ukraine peacekeeping in Poland in November
Military exercises of the "Coalition of the Willing" will take place in Poland in November, rehearsing the deployment of European troops in Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire or peace deal with Russia. British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting announced the drills after his first meeting with US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon on 15 October. At least 1,500 personnel from the UK, France and Germany will take part, alongside Polish forces.
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Bulgaria's presidential election: Yotova leads polls ahead of first round on 25 October
Bulgaria holds the first round of its presidential election on 25 October. Acting interim president Iliana Yotova, a former deputy of Prime Minister Rumen Radev, faces former pro-Ukrainian prime minister Andrey Gyurov. Polls put the Yotova–Vilchev ticket at 44–47% and the Gyurov–Kandev ticket at 24–26%, with about 30% of voters still undecided. The vote is taking place amid an unusually tight grip on power by Radev, whose Progressive Bulgaria holds a parliamentary majority.
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Arson at Starlink ground station near Sofia serves Ukrainian military, mirrors Polish attack
Two masked men set fire to 11 of 17 Starlink antennas at a secret facility near Sofia, Bulgaria, a ground station that also served Ukrainian military users, including for drone operations. Bulgarian MP Ivaylo Mirchev first disclosed the incident publicly on the evening of 12 October, criticising Bulgarian counterintelligence and filing parliamentary inquiries alongside MP Bozhidar Bozhanov. Prime Minister Rumen Radev confirmed the fire at a 14 October parliamentary hearing but declined to give details. The attack comes weeks after a similar arson at a Starlink ground base in eastern Poland that also served Ukraine, where Polish prosecutors say they have reasonable grounds to suspect Russian special services were behind the act.
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Drones attack two merchant vessels off Bulgaria; one sinks, crew still missing
Overnight on 12–13 October, drones attacked two commercial vessels in the Black Sea off the Bulgarian coast. The Maltese-flagged, Ukrainian-owned CHELSEA 3 was hit by three drones about 18 nautical miles east of Byala; all 15 crew were evacuated to Varna, five with minor injuries. A second vessel sank about 17 nautical miles east of Krapets, with 11 crew missing and either one or five rescued according to different sources. Bulgarian PM Rumen Radev convened his Security Council, announced he would summon Russia's ambassador, and appealed to the EU and NATO for investigative help. Ukraine's President Zelensky and Foreign Minister Sybiha publicly blamed Russia; Bulgarian officials said there is no conclusive evidence attributing the attacks to any state.
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Drones strike two commercial ships in Bulgaria's Black Sea zone; one sinks, crew missing
On 6 October, drones attacked two commercial vessels in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea. The Togo-flagged ALFA WATAN sank and its crew is missing, while the Palau-flagged ABLE caught fire and its 18 crew were evacuated to the Bulgarian ferry DIOSCURIA. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev called the attack a gross violation of international law and convened an emergency meeting of ministries and security services. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky blamed Russia; Bulgarian officials said responsibility was not yet established.
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Putin tells Valdai forum Ukraine must stay neutral, hints at nuclear use, rejects mutual strike halt
Vladimir Putin used a plenary address at the 23rd Valdai Discussion Club on October 1 to demand that Ukraine remain a neutral state, suggest nuclear weapons will eventually be used, and reject a mutual halt to strikes on ships and Russian oil refineries. He also restated that full control of Donbas and Ukraine's neutral status are conditions for any peace settlement, framed Trump's peace proposals as a "movement in the right direction" despite "difficult" decisions for Russia, and called for UN reform giving greater weight to Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
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Poland scrambles jets twice and evacuates border crossings as Russia strikes near Ukrainian border
On 24 September Poland scrambled military aircraft twice and placed ground-based air-defence systems on alert in response to Russian strikes on Ukrainian regions. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said two border crossings with Ukraine, Hrubieszów and Dorohusk, had to be evacuated during a Russian attack near the border. The crossings were closed for about half an hour, with vehicle traffic returning to normal from 12:00. The same night Russia hit Kyiv with ballistic missiles and drones, killing at least two people and injuring eight.