Russia's Foreign Ministry has accused Bulgaria and Turkey of contributing to environmental damage in the Black Sea by supporting Ukraine, though the claim comes without any scientific evidence or independent verification.
Maria Zakharova, the ministry's spokeswoman, said on Friday that NATO countries along the Black Sea coast were causing what she described as an "ecological strike" on the region through military and financial aid to Kyiv. She provided no data, cited no environmental monitoring body, and specified no measurable harm.
"With their political acts of support, financing, direct supplies of weapons and various forms of assistance, they are contributing to a strike on the sea that washes their own shores, an ecological strike on the Black Sea," Zakharova said, according to statements reported by DPA.
She questioned whether officials in Sofia and Ankara had considered the consequences. "Does anyone in Bulgaria or Turkey think about this? Do they ask themselves what they are doing when they take money from taxpayers and transfer it to Bankova?" she added, referring to the street in Kyiv where the Ukrainian presidency is located.
Neither Bulgaria nor Turkey has publicly responded to the accusations.
No evidence, no monitoring data
Zakharova did not specify what ecological damage she was referring to. No credible environmental monitoring agency has confirmed harm to the Black Sea attributable to Bulgarian or Turkish support for Ukraine, and Moscow supplied no scientific studies or independent assessments.
The Black Sea has seen naval operations and drone activity since the 2022 invasion, but establishing a causal link between NATO aid flows and environmental damage would require detailed scientific data. That data does not exist in the public record.
Nuclear plant allegations repeated without IAEA confirmation
Zakharova also alleged that Ukrainian forces have been targeting the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, and accused President Volodymyr Zelensky of pursuing NATO membership and nuclear capabilities as security guarantees.
"With such statements, he continues to provoke a nuclear conflict," she said, warning that the consequences of what she termed "nuclear blackmail" could first be felt in Western Europe.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has maintained a monitoring presence at the Zaporizhzhia facility since the site came under Russian control early in the war. The IAEA has not independently confirmed claims of deliberate Ukrainian attacks on the plant.
Ukraine gave up its nuclear arsenal in 1994 under the Budapest Memorandum in exchange for security assurances from Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. There is no verified evidence that Kyiv is actively seeking to develop nuclear weapons. NATO has not altered its position on Ukraine's non-nuclear status.
Call to end European support
Zakharova urged European governments to halt financial and military assistance to Ukraine and instead apply political pressure on Kyiv. "Zelensky does not want peace. This is obvious," she stated, contrasting Moscow's position with Ukrainian calls in recent weeks to resume ceasefire negotiations.
The Kremlin has insisted that any talks to end hostilities would require Kyiv to accept territorial concessions before a ceasefire can be agreed.
Zakharova dismissed recent comments by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz suggesting Ukraine might eventually have to cede territory, saying neither Germany nor the European Union plays a direct role in negotiations with Russia. According to her, their views on the matter are therefore "irrelevant" to the process.
What this means for British readers
The accusations against Bulgaria and Turkey, both NATO members, illustrate Moscow's strategy of targeting individual member states to undermine alliance cohesion. For British nationals in Bulgaria, the unverified ecological claims appear designed to question domestic political justification for aid rather than to present evidence of environmental consequences.
No Bulgarian official has acknowledged or responded to the allegations. No local environmental monitoring has corroborated the Russian ministry's claims. The absence of response from Sofia and Ankara leaves the accusations hanging without context or rebuttal.
Britain has provided significant military and financial support to Ukraine since the 2022 invasion and remains one of Kyiv's closest allies within NATO. Understanding how Russia frames its criticism of other NATO allies, and how it attempts to sow division through unsubstantiated environmental and nuclear rhetoric, helps British readers assess broader alliance dynamics and the information strategies deployed in the conflict.