Bulgaria insists Russian flights violate international rules
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Bulgaria on Tuesday insisted that Russian aircraft had violated international rules while flying over the Black Sea.
The Bulgarian Ministry of Defense said Russian aircraft turned off their transponders — communication devices that allow an airplane to be located — and flew without previously announced flight schedules.
Bulgaria, a NATO member, was reacting to a statement on Monday by a spokesman for Russia's Defense Ministry who denied any such violations. He said Russian aircraft followed international rules and always kept their transponders on.
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The exchange of accusations started on Sunday, when Bulgarian Defense Minister Nikolay Nenchev said in an interview with private Nova TV that there had been a rise in violations of Bulgarian airspace by Russian military and commercial aircraft.