Russian dictator Vladimir Putin may indeed decide to invade one of the NATO countries. It is likely that Bulgaria is at risk, which the Kremlin may consider an “easy target” for Russia. This assumption was voiced by Tomas Pojar, a former national security adviser to the Czech government.
Points of attention
- Political instability and economic challenges in Bulgaria add to its perceived vulnerability in the eyes of Moscow.
- Despite being a NATO member, Bulgaria's defense capabilities and strategic importance may not receive the same level of attention as other alliance countries.
Bulgaria could become Putin's next victim
According to Poyar, it's no secret that the Russian dictator may target the Baltic countries.
The thing is, they have a certain geographical vulnerability and are relatively small states. Despite this, they are already quite well prepared for even the worst-case scenarios.
"Perhaps it is worth considering whether such a test could take place in a completely different place. For example, the Black Sea region might be even more interesting from this point of view," the politician expressed his opinion.
In his opinion, other countries may be perceived by Putin as an easy target, for example, Bulgaria.
What is important to understand is that this country, despite being a member of NATO, does not spend as much money on defense as the Baltic countries do.
In addition, the allies do not pay as much attention to it as to the Baltics. And besides, there has been noticeable political instability there for a long time. It seems that in recent years there have been at least eight elections in Bulgaria. It is also economically one of the poorest countries in the European Union. Therefore, from Moscow's point of view, Bulgaria may seem like a place where it would be easier to "test" something than in the Baltics, — warned Poyar.
