Bulgarian law enforcement launched a sweeping series of raids on August 13 targeting arms dealers in multiple cities, acting on a formal request from National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) as part of an investigation into alleged corruption in wartime defense contracts. The operation, which spanned across regions including the capital Sofia, has not yet resulted in any arrests, but officials say it marks a significant step in a growing multinational effort to address profiteering in the arms trade.

According to Bulgaria’s Acting Interior Ministry Secretary General Miroslav Rashkov, teams from the Interior Ministry’s organized crime unit, the gendarmerie, and special operations forces conducted searches of both homes and business premises connected to the arms industry. The raids were coordinated under the supervision of the National Investigation Service and overseen by the Supreme Prosecution Office of Cassation.

While Bulgarian authorities have not disclosed the names of the companies or individuals targeted, Rashkov emphasized that the searches were carried out in direct response to a formal legal assistance request from Kyiv. “This is part of an international framework of cooperation,” he said, declining to comment on whether any materials seized would be handed over to Ukrainian investigators.

Ukraine’s anti-corruption authorities have been investigating claims that certain intermediaries, including foreign-based arms dealers, have inflated prices on weapons and ammunition sold to Kyiv during the war with Russia. These markups, according to Ukrainian officials, have siphoned off critical funds from the war........

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