There are little hopes of finding the pilot of the Bulgarian jet that disappeared from the radars during a military exercise over the Black Sea near Shabla, Prime Minister Stefan Yanev said at a press briefing in Varna, BNR reporters informed. The search continues but there is no information that the pilot managed to eject. The pilot is Major Valentin Terziev from the Graf Ignatievo Air Base, the Ministry of Defense has reported. The machine was delivered in the late 1980's and its resource was to expire in 2029-30.

Former Minister of Defense Krassimir Karakachanov has called against suspension of the agreements for maintenance of the machines signed with Russian Aircraft Corporation "MiG". He said speculations must be avoided and added the exercise was complex and that the pilot of the jet was very experienced.

The State of Defense Report for 2020 points out that “problems with the maintenance of aviation equipment and low number of flight hours pose a real threat to the level of flight safety and the ability to perform tasks of the Alliance, including air protection," reporter Dobromir Videv recalls.