Bulgaria's authorities have no reason to believe that a Russian Il-76 aircraft that flew through Bulgarian airspace was carrying out any mission other than a humanitarian one, Transport Minister Georgi Peev said.
Speaking on bTV, Peev confirmed that the aircraft had all the necessary permits to cross Bulgarian airspace and was authorized to fly to Serbia to assist with efforts to extinguish forest fires.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on August 19 that the flight had been conducted following a request from Serbia, submitted through a diplomatic note because of the fires in the country. The Russian Il-76 belongs to the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations and was being used to assist Serbian authorities with firefighting.
Peev rejected suggestions by former Defense Minister Todor Tagarev that the aircraft could have been collecting intelligence information. He said that anyone looking for a conspiracy could find one, but stressed that flights through Bulgarian and European airspace are governed by detailed procedures.
Russian airlines are generally prohibited from taking off, landing or flying over European airspace under EU restrictions, but exemptions exist for certain humanitarian and firefighting missions. According to Peev, the Russian flight qualified for such an exemption.
