[5] In November 2023, Dobrev held a lecture at the Atlantic Council in Washington DC, where he outlined the various ways in which Russian influence has permeated politics in Eastern Europe.

It is a perfect match.” At Dobrev's initiative, in July 2023 and again in November 2023 the National Assembly (Bulgaria) started a process of imposing a ban on Russian oil imports to the Lukoil refinery near Burgas.

[12] Taking advantage of an exemption to the EU’s Russian oil ban, Bulgaria allowed millions of barrels of Russian oil to reach the Russian-owned refinery, which then exported various refined fuels abroad including to EU countries, according to an investigation by the NGO Global Witness, the think tanks Center for the Study of Democracy (Bulgaria) and Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air and independent reporting by Politico.

France’s TotalEnergies energy company was granted an oil and gas exploration licence in 2012 to prospect for fossil fuels in Bulgaria’s economic area of the Black Sea.

This is our hope for diversification [of energy sources],” Dobrev said.In 2023, the National Assembly (Bulgaria) decided to negotiate the option for the state to take a 20% stake in the consortium for the offshore drilling following the departure of one of the original partners.