Statement in support of member organisation Mission Wings

In an article published on 19 October 2025, Bulgarian Interior Minister Daniel Mitov alleged that Russian spies and so-called hard-left humanitarian groups are working with people smugglers to flood Europe with illegal migrants. The claim, made in an article by Matthew Dathan for the British newspaper TheTimes, marks one of the most forceful attacks yet by Bulgarian authorities against civil society organisations that have raised concerns about violence and human rights violations at the EU’s external borders, particularly within Bulgarian territory.

The remarks come amid escalating efforts by the Bulgarian government to discredit and suppress independent monitoring groups. One such organisation, Mission Wings Foundation (MWF), has been under sustained pressure since January 2025, following a press release on 29 December 2024 and a formal call to the Chief Prosecutor on 6 January 2025 in the aftermath of the deaths of three unaccompanied minors near the Bulgarian-Turkish border in late December 2024.

In response, MWF issued a statement emphasising its full compliance with national laws and regulations. “Checks conducted by the relevant authorities—including the State Agency for National Security, the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime, and the National Revenue Agency—have confirmed full compliance with national standards and legislation. No violations, accusations, or criminal proceedings have ever been raised against our organisation,” the statement read.

“For years, Mission Wings has been subject to attacks due to our open stance against human rights violations at Bulgaria’s borders,” the organisation stated. International watchdogs such as Human Rights Watch, the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, and the Border Violence Monitoring Network (BVMN) have similarly documented violent pushbacks of migrants and refugees from Bulgaria into Turkey.

The controversy underscores growing tensions between state authorities and humanitarian organisations operating in border regions, raising urgent questions about transparency, accountability, and the protection of fundamental rights within the European Union.