BRIZ 2026, the Bulgarian national naval exercise with international participation, has commenced in the western part of the Black Sea.
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Press Release, Sofia, 10 July 2026: [auto-translated] The national naval exercise with international participation BRIZ (BREEZE) 2026 starts today. It is held by the Navy in the western part of the Black Sea, in the maritime spaces of the Republic of Bulgaria, and will continue until July 19. The main objective of the exercise is to increase interoperability and interaction between participants by working out joint tasks and leading a wide range of actions at sea in an operation in response to a crisis and eradicating the consequences of major accidents and incidents.
In BRIZ 2026 will participate warships, aerial vehicles, unmanned submarines, diving groups and staff officers from the naval forces of Bulgaria, Albania, Georgia, Greece, Italy, Poland, Romania, USA, Turkey, France, the Joint Force Command (JSS), the Joint Special Operations Command (JSS), the Land Forces (GA), the Air Force (Air Force) and Rakovski Naval Academy ‘N. J. Vaptsarov’. The ships of the Anti-Mining Group in the Black Sea also take part in the exercise.
In 2026 BRIZ is held for the thirtieth time and continues the tradition of interdepartmental cooperation and interaction with non-governmental organisations and private companies in a multinational environment. The exercise will be attended by elements of five ministries, 26 state organisations, government and non-governmental organisations, volunteer associations and private companies. The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) will also implement legislation related to the reduction of the risk of marine accidents, pollution of the sea from ships and the loss of life at sea.
The planning of the exercise was carried out under the leadership of the commander of the Navy Rear Admiral Kiril Mihaylov, who is also the general head of BRIZ 2026. An officer conducting the exercise and director of the exercise is the flotilla Admiral Vanyo Musinski – deputy commander of the Navy. Commander of the multinational ship operational compound is the fleet Admiral Radko Penev – commander of the Fleet battleships and auxiliary ships.
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