Bulgaria

Drones have struck two ships near the coastal towns of Byala and Krapec, prompting President Rumen Radev to summon the Russian ambassador for an explanation. While fishermen found one vessel looted and abandoned, the military says it has recovered no drone debris and the government has no intention of naming a perpetrator. Brussels has condemned the strikes, but at home, the opposition is less interested in diplomacy than in why the prime minister and security services have yet to explain the lapse in maritime safety.

The domestic mood is further soured by a row over presidential pardons and a mysterious act of sabotage. The PP party is boycotting a session on the pardon system after the vice president freed a convicted drug trafficker, while MPs aligned with the president disrupted a separate hearing into a different trafficking case. Meanwhile, 11 Starlink antennas were found burnt at a classified site near Sofia; the government is being accused of trying to keep the arson quiet.

The state gas operator reported an 85 million euro profit for the half-year, but the broader economic outlook is less buoyant. The state has abandoned its search for oil and gas in the Black Sea, and current estimates suggest that 30-35% of retirees will soon find that receiving two pensions results in a lower total than receiving one. Even the infrastructure budget is under pressure, with warnings that highway funds may have to be diverted to pay for the next election.