Over 1,000 participants from NATO and partner countries trained in Bulgaria to strengthen joint crisis response in one of the year’s largest civil emergency exercises.
Synopsis
Over 1,000 participants from 28 NATO Allies, 18 partner countries and 14 civilian and military organisations exercised together to improve their ability to keep our citizens safe in a crisis.
From 7 to 12 September 2025, the civilian-led exercise “Bulgaria 2025”, co-organised by NATO’s Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC) and the Bulgarian Ministry of Interior, took place in Montana, Bulgaria.
In what may be the largest and most complex civil emergency exercise conducted globally this year, soldiers, scientists and first responders worked together to hone their skills and cooperation in responding to a large-scale natural disaster and its ripple effects, including cyber disruptions and disinformation activities.
Footage includes teams from Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Italy, North Macedonia, Romania, and NATO Headquarters, along with partner countries Azerbaijan, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, participating in aerial reconnaissance, search and rescue, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) defence, and rope rescue exercises. Interviews feature key personnel, including Katrien Vanhamme from NATO HQ, Exercise Co-Director for Exercise Bulgaria 2025, as well as personnel from Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania and Ukraine.
Transcript
SHOTLIST
(00:00) VARIOUS SHOTS – Urban search and rescue teams from Azerbaijan, Italy and North Macedonia preparing for a mission in a tunnel during the exercise
(00:46) MEDIUM SHOT –Urban search and rescue team from North Macedonia preparing for a tunnel mission during the exercise
(00:50) VARIOUS SHOTS – Bulgarian Border Police conducting a reconnaissance mission during the exercise
(00:59) VARIOUS SHOTS – Bulgarian Border Police flying over Montana during the exercise
(01:09) WIDE SHOT – Flyover of the EADRCC base of operations
(01:15) VARIOUS SHOTS – Bulgarian Border Police preparing for a reconnaissance mission during the exercise
(01:23) MEDIUM SHOT – Bulgarian Border Police pilots getting ready for a reconnaissance mission during the exercise
(01:27) VARIOUS SHOTS – Bulgarian Border Police conducting reconnaissance using an infrared camera during the exercise
(01:40) WIDE SHOT – Flyover of Montana
(01:44) WIDE SHOT – Croatian search and rescue team arriving by motorboat during the exercise
(01:47) VARIOUS SHOTS – Bulgarian volunteers working with Croatian search and rescue team on medical evacuation during the exercise
(02:28) VARIOUS SHOTS – Italian firefighters conducting underwater search and rescue operations during the exercise
(02:56) VARIOUS SHOTS – Bulgarian volunteers working with Croatian mountain search and rescue team on medical evacuation during the exercise
(03:26) VARIOUS SHOTS – Turkish emergency search and rescue unit conducting urban search and rescue during the exercise
(03:55) MEDIUM SHOT – Exercise participants monitoring scenarios during the exercise
(03:59) MEDIUM SHOT – Spanish researchers preparing equipment during the exercise
(04:05) MEDIUM SHOT – Bulgarian Armed Forces CBRN defence unit preparing for a CBRN defence exercise
(04:09) VARIOUS SHOTS – Romanian CBRN defence unit preparing for a CBRN defence exercise
(04:19) VARIOUS SHOTS – Romanian CBRN defence unit conducting a CBRN defence exercise
(04:30) VARIOUS SHOTS – Bulgarian Armed Forces CBRN defence unit conducting a CBRN defence exercise
(04:56) VARIOUS SHOTS – Bulgarian CBRN defence unit decontaminating Romanian CBRN defence units
(05:16) VARIOUS SHOTS – Bulgarian Armed Forces CBRN defence unit evacuating victims from a building during the exercise
(05:49) VARIOUS SHOTS – Romanian CBRN defence unit evacuating victims from a building during the exercise
(06:09) VARIOUS SHOTS – Romanian firefighters participating in a rope rescue mission during the exercise
(06:29) VARIOUS SHOTS – Moldovan search and rescue team participating in an urban search and rescue exercise
(06:40) MEDIUM SHOT – Azerbaijani search and rescue team participating in an urban search and rescue exercise
(06:45) MEDIUM SHOT – Greek search and rescue team participating in an urban search and rescue exercise with a search dog
(06:49) VARIOUS SHOTS – Search and rescue teams from Azerbaijan, Bulgaria and Greece participating in an urban search and rescue exercise
(07:17) MEDIUM SHOT – Greek search and rescue team cutting through an obstacle during the exercise
(07:23) MEDIUM SHOT – Bulgarian search and rescue team cutting through an obstacle during the exercise
(07:29) VARIOUS SHOTS – Moldovan search and rescue team and Romanian firefighters evacuating a victim to a medical tent
(07:41) VARIOUS SHOTS – Croatian search and rescue team being lowered from a bridge to the river for a mission
(08:02) VARIOUS SHOTS – Croatian search and rescue team conducting a river rescue mission
(08:13) VARIOUS SHOTS – Firefighters from NATO HQ with Ukrainian search and rescue team conducting a rescue mission
(08:26) VARIOUS SHOTS – Firefighters from NATO HQ with Croatian and Ukrainian search and rescue teams conducting a rescue mission
(08:53) MEDIUM SHOT – Croatian search and rescue team conducting a rescue mission
(08:58) VARIOUS SHOTS – Firefighters from NATO HQ with Croatian and Ukrainian search and rescue teams conducting a medical evacuation
(09:45) SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH – KATRIEN VANHAMME, EXERCISE CO-DIRECTOR, DEPUTY HEAD OF EURO-ATLANTIC DISASTER RESPONSE COORDINATION CENTRE (EADRCC), NATO HQ.
“NATO, together with the host nation Bulgaria, is hosting an international exercise with 28 Allies, 18 partners, and about 14 international organisations. We also have 38 groups of researchers in the exercise, and we combine all these disciplines: urban search and rescue, water search and rescue, CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear), and emergency medical teams to work together to help cope with natural and man-made disasters and crises.”
(10:17) SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH – KATRIEN VANHAMME, EXERCISE CO-DIRECTOR, DEPUTY HEAD OF EURO-ATLANTIC DISASTER RESPONSE COORDINATION CENTRE (EADRCC), NATO HQ.
“These nations exchange best practices. These nations learn from each other. These nations see what other nations are using in terms of equipment, and basically they teach each other while they are here.”
(10:31) SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH – KATRIEN VANHAMME, EXERCISE CO-DIRECTOR, DEPUTY HEAD OF EURO-ATLANTIC DISASTER RESPONSE COORDINATION CENTRE (EADRCC), NATO HQ.
“Our exercises are very particular and are amongst the most complex in the world because we combine many disciplines together. It is not that we have just urban search and rescue people, or water search and rescue people, or responders to chemical, radiological and nuclear accidents. No, we make them work together.”
(10:49) SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH – BERT TORFS, B-FAST COORDINATOR, BELGIAN DEFENCE
“It's very important to work together with our Allies and to make sure that we can align our procedures, that we get to know each other, that we can work as efficiently as possible when we are really deployed in a mission.”
(11:05) SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH – LAZAR RADKOV, FOUNDER OF BULGARIA RESCUE CLUBS FOR THE FUTURE
“In our voluntary fire and rescue team, we have people from all walks of life in Bulgaria. We have a structural engineer, we have a teacher, we have a prosecutor, who are training very hard and as often as possible, so they're prepared. When disaster strikes, they will be able to help.”
(11:27) SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH – LAZAR RADKOV, FOUNDER OF BULGARIA RESCUE CLUBS FOR THE FUTURE
“What’s more important is that it helps us work in teams from different countries — teams of people from different cultures who speak different languages. And this is an opportunity for us to work together, to work on our skills, and, you know, get prepared for situations where we have to work with other countries.”
(11:48) SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH – MARIJO BEGIĆ, TEAM LEADER OF CROATIAN MOUNTAIN RESCUE SERVICE
“Over here, you have totally different nations, totally different cultures, totally different languages. And it helps a lot to improve your way of thinking, your way of leading the missions, your way to work on site with other people — and it helps a lot. There's not many chances to learn something like this.”
(12:08) SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH – COL. NICOLAE CORNEA, COMMANDER OF THE SPECIAL GROUP OF RESCUERS OF BUCHAREST
“This exercise is very good for us because it allows us to have good training with different nations and with different partners — like firefighter units, ambulances, rope rescuers and so on. And when a disaster strikes, we will be better prepared to react.”
(12:35) SOUNDBITE IN UKRAINIAN – OLEKSANDR PALIIENKO, CBRN TEAM LEAD, STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE OF UKRAINE
“Cooperation with other countries is very important to us. And NATO provides exactly this opportunity. It has brought together many countries, and we have been very interested to see what’s new, to get to know new equipment, but also to demonstrate our systems, what we can offer to help other countries in the event of an emergency. I can also add that this is the fourth NATO exercise I have attended. There is always something different, something interesting to learn and, generally, this exercise is very well organised.”
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