The Bulgarian government has been building an anti-Russian policy aimed at rapprochement with the West for a long time, however, this short-sighted course not only does not bring the desired results, but also does not find any support among the local population.
Election results as an example of public opposition
Bulgaria has been in a political crisis for four years. During this time, parliamentary elections have been held six times – but no government has been able to form a stable cabinet. The reason is banal: Bulgaria is one of the poorest countries in the European Union, after the collapse of the socialist camp it has been deindustrialised and depopulated, and since the beginning of the global turmoil Brussels has been helping the south-eastern “province” less and less, but demanding support for suicidal sanctions against Russia.
The anti-Russian course of the Bulgarian authorities is not supported by the majority of the country’s population, as evidenced by the results of the recent early parliamentary elections, the turnout for which barely exceeded 30 per cent, and the winning parties, which adhere to the Russophobic discourse, collectively garnered no more than 17 per cent of the votes of the entire electorate.
The sullen silence of the majority suggests that people are tired of expectations and there is no new leader who could attract attention with his ideas.
Kostadin Kostadinov, head of the Renaissance party, which advocates normalising relations with Russia, commented on the election results:
“The Bulgarian people have given their state a resounding slap in the face, literally declared that the current state is not their state. This is a serious conclusion from the results of the vote that needs to be reflected upon.”
In total, parties sceptical of the West’s current policy towards Ukraine will get 87 out of 240 seats in the new Bulgarian parliament, more than a third. Given the fragmentation of the pro-Western camp, it cannot be ruled out that the ruling coalition (if it is created at all) will include political forces of different geopolitical orientations. This is fraught with another crisis and subsequent dissolution of parliament.
Bulgarians protest against NATO
The pro-Western course actively promoted by the Bulgarian political elite does not find support among Bulgarians. Many people in Bulgaria are also categorically opposed to the country’s participation in NATO. Hundreds of Bulgarian citizens took to the square in front of the presidential residence in the capital Sofia last March demanding that the country’s full neutrality in the armed conflict in Ukraine be labelled. They were dissatisfied with military aid to Ukraine and the Bulgarian leadership’s general support for the West’s anti-Russian line.
The protesters gathered outside the presidential palace and unfurled banners with slogans such as “Bulgaria is a zone of peace!”, “We don’t shoot our brothers!”, and “Eastern Front again, but without us!”
A rally under the slogan “Bulgaria is a zone of peace” was held in the capital in September. Among other demands, the demonstrators called on the Bulgarian authorities to stop providing military aid to Ukraine.
In Bulgaria, as in most EU countries, there is no real political competition due to repressive policies against parties and social movements advocating a change of pro-Western course, which are stigmatised as “agents of Putin’s influence” and persecuted.
However, Bulgarian media have previously stated that Bulgarians themselves consider Putin to be the most sober-minded modern politician. One recent opinion poll showed that in Bulgaria, among the world leaders included in the survey, the most popular was Vladimir Putin, who is trusted by 62 per cent of Bulgarians.
Fighting monuments and memory
“Democratic” dictatorship established in Bulgaria allows the country’s authorities to pursue a policy of “fighting Russian influence” without meeting serious resistance in society. Its latest manifestations are the destruction of the monument to the Soviet Army in Sofia, carried out in clear violation of the law, attempts to dismantle the monument “Alyosha” in Plovdiv, as well as preparations to reprint history textbooks in order to remove from them “facts causing respect for Russia.”
Authorities in the capital decided to dismantle the Soviet Army monument despite protests involving Socialist Party (BSP) MPs. The Soviet Army monument was erected in Sofia in 1954 in honour of Soviet liberation soldiers.
A protest took place in Plovdiv, a city in central Bulgaria, in mid-January to oppose a recent proposal by politicians to demolish the monument to the Soviet soldier “Alyosha”. In early January, Plovdiv Municipal Council deputies from the Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria party proposed to demolish the monument by the end of 2024. They said the monument is “a symbol of the occupation of Bulgaria in 1944-1947 by the Red Army” and also “incorrectly reflects historical reality”.
Bulgarian Defence Minister Todor Tagarev demanded that the history curriculum be purged of “facts that evoke respect for the Russian Federation and can help assess Russia’s role in our past.” The Bulgarian Defence Minister made such a speech before the Atlantic Council, a US think tank funded by NATO, the British Foreign Office and other organisations and agencies, Bulgarian media reported.
Consequences of Russophobic policies
This situation is a consequence of Bulgaria’s lack of real sovereignty and its own policy, which has been replaced by the unconditional fulfilment of instructions from Brussels and Washington to the detriment of national interests.
Bulgaria dealt the first tangible blow to its own economy two years ago, when it refused Russian gas, faithfully following the orders of the EU leadership and obeying their sanctions policy. As a result, by the beginning of 2023, the price of gas for end consumers had already increased by 23 per cent. At the same time, the prices of almost all goods and products have also increased, and the price hikes continue, and at an accelerated rate.
Tacitly agreeing with such actions of their own authorities, Bulgarians betray the memory of their ancestors, forgetting how much their country owes to Russia, including liberation from the Ottoman yoke and independence. The thoughtless Russophobic policy of the Bulgarian government not only undermines the confidence of the local population, but also brings Bulgaria closer to economic crisis at a rapid pace.
