Bulgaria's Intelligence Agencies Warn of Escalating Balkan Threats

The State Agency for National Security (DANS) released its 2025 annual report outlining a broad spectrum of risks to Bulgaria, ranging from energy, health‑care and pharmaceutical vulnerabilities to ecological, communication, transport and fuel challenges. It highlighted heightened geopolitical tension, hybrid threats and climate‑driven disasters, noting interference with GNSS signals, stray maritime mines, rogue missiles and unmanned sea devices. Attacks on Black Sea tankers and oil infrastructure were said to raise spill risks and insurance costs. DANS warned of increased sabotage and cyber‑operations against critical infrastructure—state administration, energy, transport, communications, food, health and water supplies—carried out by hostile states and non‑state actors, including criminal, extremist and terrorist groups. The report also flagged the growing use of artificial‑intelligence tools for cyber‑attacks and disinformation, and stressed the need to protect strategic sites.

The State Agency for Intelligence (DAR) echoed these concerns, focusing on foreign influence against Bulgaria in the Western Balkans, especially in North Macedonia. DAR documented anti‑Bulgarian discrimination, hate crimes, administrative pressure, information campaigns aimed at erasing Bulgarian cultural heritage and manipulating history. It noted that, despite Macedonian claims of only a few thousand Bulgarian citizens, there are over 200,000 Bulgarian passports issued to residents there, and that Bulgarian community organisations face closures and prosecutions for online speech. The agencies emphasised that these developments undermine Bulgaria’s regional security and its integration into Euro‑Atlantic structures.