Bulgarian Defense Chief Faces Dismissal After Not Saying ‘War’

(Bloomberg) -- Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov called for the resignation of his defense chief after the former military officer declined to use the word “war” in reference to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.  

Defense Minister Stefan Yanev, a NATO-trained general who studied in the U.S. and served as caretaker prime minister twice last year, has repeatedly referred to the attack on Ukraine as a “special operation,” echoing language used by Russian President Vladimir Putin. On Thursday, he defended his terminology by saying he's avoiding “militant rhetoric” so that “neither Putin nor NATO close the door for diplomacy.” 

Petkov, who took office in November, said the cabinet member's rhetoric -- and his penchant for expressing positions that diverge from the government's -- was unacceptable. 

“A defense minister can't use the word ‘operation' instead of the word ‘war,'” Petkov told reporters in Sofia on Monday. “It can't be called an operation when thousands of soldiers on both sides have already been killed.”

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The rift reflects a divide within Bulgaria, which has close historical and economic ties with Russia and depends almost entirely on Russian gas and nuclear fuel supplies. Yanev had a run-in with the prime minister last month when he rejected an increased NATO presence in the country, a stance Petkov brushed off as the defense minister's “personal opinion.” 

Petkov's government will discuss the resignation today, with Bulgaria's parliament like to vote on it Tuesday. 

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