If we are talking about a hypothesis, is it possible that this damage is due to a cyberattack – yes, it is not ruled out. We need to think about what we can do in the future. We will also be put in a situation where we can do nothing if it happens in Bulgaria. This is how Tsvetlin Yovchev, former chairman of the National Security Agency, commented on the large-scale power failure that affected the Iberian Peninsula today on BNT.
Regarding the state of our country's national security and domestic services, he said: “It is difficult for me to give a completely adequate answer – I have not had direct information about what happened there for a long time. However, in recent years, I have seen things from public information that are encouraging. I hope that this direction will continue. There were successful operations in terms of countering foreign intelligence, specifically Russian.“
He pointed out that several working organizations for foreign special services had been uncovered and measures had been taken against them. This shows that his colleagues are succeeding: “There has always been political talk, but it must be supported by concrete facts. This discussion should be held elsewhere, not in the media. There is a commission for control of the services in the National Assembly, in the Council of People's Commissars.“
When asked if there are sleeper cells of spies and networks in our country, he was categorical: “Yes, there are. Revealing a professionally built spy network is extremely difficult.“
“What saves us is that we are not in the focus of all conflicts. We have a changing system that functions in a changing country. We do not know how US-Russia relations will develop - this poses a risk for us and Europe. Also US-China relations, and the Middle East,“ he also warned.
“There is active propaganda being conducted regarding Ukraine. It was aimed at making assistance to Ukraine more difficult. For several years, we have had a tendency for propaganda to be aimed at making European integration in the Balkans, including Bulgaria, more difficult. Propaganda can be conducted both through fake news and through a completely wrong interpretation of the facts, which, when presented convincingly, has the same effect. Regarding the euro, for example - most people have concerns about this. In fact, we lost our financial sovereignty when we entered the currency board, and then when we entered the waiting room. What are we worried about now?“, Yovchev also asked.