Bulgaria sends 200,000 landmines back to Greece
The Bulgarian government said on 21 November it has shipped back to Greece nearly 200,000 landmines that have been waiting to be destroyed since an explosion ripped through the plant where they were stored four years ago.
‘Bulgaria completed the transportation to Greece of 190,570 landmines from the plant near Gorni Lom,’ the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Greece had contracted a private Bulgarian firm to destroy a total of 1.5 million landmines at the plant, but an explosion in the factory on 1 October 2014 resulted in death of 15 people.
The privately-owned plant was then stripped of its licence to decommission the remaining landmines.
Bulgaria’s arms industry, which flourished during communism, was largely privatised in the 1990s.
But many of the new owners had neither the necessary know-how nor the financial means to invest in safety and accidents, sometimes deadly, were frequent.
At the plant in Gorni Lom itself, six workers were also injured in explosions in 2007 and 2010.
More from Defence Notes
-
![Eurosatory 2026: Iran’s attacks on UAE have “accelerated” Edge’s plans, says company]()
Eurosatory 2026: Iran’s attacks on UAE have “accelerated” Edge’s plans, says company
The UAE’s Edge has undergone massive changes since it was formed in 2019, from acquisitions to partnerships, and has now set up a European division in Paris.
-
![US, Canada advance with over-the-horizon radar programmes to close NORAD surveillance gaps]()
US, Canada advance with over-the-horizon radar programmes to close NORAD surveillance gaps
Washington and Ottawa’s Arctic and homeland radar initiatives aim to strengthen early warning against cruise missiles, hypersonic weapons and long-range aerospace threats approaching North America.
-
![The speed of relevance: how companies can navigate the new era of European defence procurement]()
The speed of relevance: how companies can navigate the new era of European defence procurement
European militaries face a rapidly evolving security landscape and defence production must accelerate to meet surging demand for platforms and equipment. Industry needs to adapt to ensure it gets its products into the hands of the end user, Evelyn Rafferty, Senior Director Aerospace and Defence - Europe at Plexus told Shephard’s Gerrard Cowan.
