Bulgaria's direct exports of weapons and ammunition to Ukraine surged dramatically in 2024, reaching 156,365,717 euros, according to an official response from the Ministry of Economy, Investments and Industry to Bulgarian media BGNES. Compared with the previous year, when direct deliveries amounted to just 12.6 million euros, exports increased more than twelvefold. Official records show that no direct exports to Ukraine were reported in 2022.
The figures also confirm that 2024 was a record-breaking year for Bulgaria's defense industry as a whole. The total value of exported and transferred defense-related products climbed to 2,831,285,190 euros, the highest level ever recorded by the ministry. Officials noted that "the Bulgarian defense industry has maintained consistently high export levels" in recent years, with steady growth continuing throughout the period.
The upward trend is reflected in the annual export data. Defense exports reached 1.654 billion euros in 2022 before rising to 2.168 billion euros in 2023. By 2024, the figure had climbed to nearly 2.831 billion euros, representing an increase of more than 1.17 billion euros over just two years.
The ministry clarified that its statistics cover only direct exports carried out by Bulgarian commercial companies under contracts with Ukrainian businesses or state institutions. According to the official data, exports to Ukraine totaled zero in 2022, increased to 12,586,508 euros in 2023, and then jumped to 156,365,717 euros in 2024.
