The recent statement of the Deputy Chairman of the State Duma in Moscow, Pyotr Tolstoy, is "insolent, outrageous, unacceptable and does not correspond to international law," Deputy Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov has told Nova TV.

According to Zapryanov the statement cannot be seen as a direct military threat. "This statement is a symptom of the thinking in Putin's inner circle, of the way these people impetuously consider using the military tool for neo-imperial ambitions and talk about war against NATO countries.” These propaganda statements are intended to instill fear. They aim to destabilize the population in Bulgaria and Romania and to mobilize proxies in order to prevent aid to Ukraine, Zapryanov added.

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Commenting on Tolstoy's statement that the Bulgarian Black Sea coast was full of Russians who would become active if necessary, Zapryanov said that anyone who abides by the law is welcome in Bulgaria.