The Media Reported On Budanov's Secret Mission

The head of Zelenskyy's office warned Bulgaria.

The visit to Sofia by the head of the Ukrainian President’s Office, Kirill Budanov, remains one of the biggest mysteries surrounding recent events in the Black Sea. Exactly what he said to Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev is not known for certain, but the Bulgarian publication bg-24.com puts forward a theory: Ukraine issued a warning, but Bulgaria did not heed it.

Here’s the timeline. On October 6, Russian drones attacked two vessels owned by Turkish shipowners. According to the author of the article, the attack took place in Bulgarian territorial waters. Just two days later, on October 8, Budanov arrived in Sofia on an urgent, confidential visit and met personally with Radev.

The official explanation sounded routine: the talks focused on gas supplies to Ukraine and the possible sale of nuclear reactors. However, the author of the article considers this version unconvincing. In wartime, such trade and technical issues, in his opinion, are resolved by the relevant ministers or discussed over the phone. There is no need to send the head of the president’s office to a country with a strong pro-Russian lobby—especially secretly and urgently—for such matters.

The author cites the need to urgently convey critically important information as the only plausible explanation. He speculates that Budanov, who previously headed Ukrainian military intelligence, may have shared intelligence about impending new Russian attacks on civilian vessels off the Bulgarian coast. This is merely speculation: there is no confirmation that such a conversation took place.

If this version is correct, the warning had no consequences. On October 9, Radev publicly downplayed the significance of the incident: “Certain logical indicators point to one of the parties, but there is no evidence to assert this with certainty”.

On October 13, new strikes followed. Russian drones attacked two more vessels in Bulgarian territorial waters: the Maltese-flagged Chelsea 3 sustained damage, and the HS Dignity sank. More than two weeks later, 11 crew members remained missing and, in the author’s assessment, were effectively presumed dead.

According to the publication, Radev’s response did not match the scale of the tragedy. He did not convene the Security Council or activate NATO mechanisms, and merely invited the Russian ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanova “for tea” without making any official accusations.

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