The North Atlantic Alliance is expanding its presence in Romania and Bulgaria, in the Black Sea Basin. Bulgaria has agreed with Italy to build a NATO base, and it is also planning to acquire new weapons and construct infrastructure for troop movements, Russian Ambassador to Bulgaria Eleonora Mitrofanova told Izvestia. Romania will host a major exercise, Dacian Fall 2025 (Oct. 20-Nov. 13), and purchase Hisar corvettes from Türkiye, the Russian Embassy in Romania revealed, warning against NATO plans to weaken Moscow’s influence in the Black Sea region.
NATO is also seeking to gain control over the Black Sea and the airspace above it, as Romania, Bulgaria, and Türkiye take part in the MCM Black Sea initiative and the annual NATO maneuvers in the Black Sea, including Sea Breeze (June 30-July 11) and Sea Shield (March 31-April 11). Beyond the deployment for the maneuvers, it also involves permanent stationing of aircraft and naval vessels. Russia is closely monitoring this development, which mirrors Western efforts to turn the Baltic Sea into a “NATO sea.”
