Cyberattacks, sabotage and disinformation: An U.S. Congressional report describes russian hybrid threats against Bulgaria

Bulgaria is among the countries on NATO’s eastern flank that have faced intensified Russian hybrid threats since the start of the war in Ukraine. This is noted in a report by the U.S. Congressional Research Service published on August 11, 2026.

In the document, titled “Russian Hybrid Warfare Activities in Europe: Considerations for Congress” Bulgaria and Romania are discussed in a separate section as two NATO and EU member states with a key location on the Black Sea. According to the analysis, such threats could affect internal stability, critical infrastructure, and the development of strategic economic and energy projects.

Among the specifically mentioned risks is the jamming of GPS signals in the Black Sea. The report notes that Bulgarian and Romanian authorities have recorded an increase in such incidents. It cites information according to which Bulgarian defense officials have linked the interference to “electronic warfare systems,” without directly identifying who is behind them.

The report also draws attention to cyberattacks. It states that Bulgaria and Romania have been the targets of DDoS and other destabilizing cyberattacks, which authorities and experts link to pro-Russian hacker groups. Among the targets were election-related systems, government information systems, and critical infrastructure.

Special emphasis is placed on the Bulgarian defense industry. The analysis notes that it “may have been the target of Russia-linked sabotage operations against enterprises in the Bulgarian military-industrial sector.”

Significant attention is also devoted to political influence and disinformation. On the eve of the parliamentary elections in Bulgaria in April 2026, an analysis cited in the report identifies the country as one of the EU states with a particularly vulnerable information environment to “undemocratic malicious manipulation.” The factors cited include prolonged political instability and polarization, weak regulatory enforcement, and low public resilience.

The document also notes that, prior to the elections, Bulgarian authorities launched an initiative to counter disinformation and hybrid threats and sought assistance from the European Union to limit potential foreign interference.

Bulgaria is also mentioned in the report’s general section on political and electoral interference. According to the document, European officials have accused Russia of information manipulation, bribing politicians, and illegally financing campaigns in several countries, including France, Germany, Poland, Montenegro, Bulgaria, and Moldova.

The report’s authors emphasize that attributing responsibility for hybrid operations is often difficult and that the strength of the evidence varies from case to case. Typical forms of hybrid warfare cited include sabotage, cyberattacks, political influence, disinformation, GPS jamming, airspace violations, and attacks on critical infrastructure.

The report also examines possible actions by the U.S. Congress, including monitoring Russian hybrid operations, assessing threats to NATO and critical infrastructure, as well as potential changes to sanctions policy against Russian intelligence agencies and associated individuals.