If the import of Russian oil in Bulgaria stops, the only oil refinery in the country will stop working, said the Chairman of the Management Board of Lukoil Neftohim Burgas Ilshat Sharafutdinov. According to him the facility could also process oil from other countries, but that would take time, BNR Burgas reported.

• Bulgaria wants to be excluded from EU sanctions on import of Russian oil

In the 1960s the Bulgarian refinery was located on the Black Sea to receive oil from Russian ports, Zhivodar Terziev of the Bulgarian Oil and Gas Association said in an interview with BNR. Shipping oil only through the Bosphorus posed risks, Terziev said.

For the Bulgarian companies, a possible embargo on Russian oil would be the biggest problem because in recent years they have relied on 80-90% of supplies through the Burgas refinery, Terziev said.