Another Explosion Rocks Emco Ammunition Depot Owned by Gebrev in Bulgaria

An explosion has occurred at an ammunition depot belonging to the Emco company in Bulgaria. According to the regional police department, employees who were on site at the time of the incident were urgently evacuated. Three fire crews responded to the scene. Authorities have assured residents of nearby towns that the explosion poses no danger to them.

According to Bulgarian broadcaster BNR, Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev personally visited the site of the incident and stated on Saturday that the fire had already been contained and brought under control. He recalled that a similar explosion at an Emco warehouse had occurred previously, on August 10.

A Possible "Foreign Trace"

"We will review previous cases of similar fires at this company's warehouses, as well as at other firms, to determine whether there is a possible connection or a recurring pattern," the minister said, adding that he does not rule out "external interference" in the incident.

Emco is headed by Bulgarian arms magnate Emilian Gebrev, whom Bulgarian prosecutors have previously named as a target of attacks by Russian agents. In 2024, Bulgaria issued arrest warrants for six Russian nationals accused of involvement in the destruction of Emco ammunition depots, which between 2011 and 2020 stored munitions intended for export to Ukraine and Georgia.

According to prosecutors, investigators have grounds to believe there is a link between the explosions in Bulgaria, the 2015 attempt to poison Gebrev, and the 2014 ammunition depot explosions in Vrbětice, Czechia. Moscow categorically denies all of these accusations.

Source: novinky.cz