Are Bulgaria’s MiG-29 pilots refusing to fly?

Various media outlets In Bulgaria reported on Oct. 24 that the country’s MiG-29 pilots are refusing to fly the aircraft.

Bulgarian mig-29 r-27
By Krasimir Grozev (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

The reports cited safety concerns and low morale for the stand down. Pilots are said to be unhappy over the delay of choosing a new fighter.

However, the base commander at Graf Ignatievo Air Force Base – home of Bulgaria’s MiG-29s – blamed the weather for the cancellation of flights.