In the lead-up to 146th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Russia and Bulgaria

In a lengthy interview with International Affairs magazine, Russia’s ambassador to Bulgaria, Eleonora Mitrofanova, spoke about the anti-Russian policies of the Bulgarian government, the ordinary Bulgarians’ affinity for Russia, based on a common faith, alphabet, Slavic roots and grateful memory for their country’s liberation from the Ottoman yoke, and also about the popularity of the Russian language in Bulgaria.

Natalya Kulishenko: This coming July 7 will mark 146 years since Russia and Bulgaria established diplomatic relations in 1879. We have come a long way since then, haven’t we? What can you say?

Eleonora Mitrofanova: Relations at the official level are at a historical low now with no contacts either on a government or parliamentary level. We contact with some local politicians, however, those who want to better understand Russia's position on certain issues, and do not wish to lose contacts with their colleagues in Russia.

Communication with citizens on a grass-root level is just wonderful. Wherever I go, people come up to me on the street and express their respect and sympathy for Russia. It is ordinary people, who look after the many monuments and memorials dedicated to Russian soldiers who gave their lives for the freedom of Bulgaria during the Russo-Turkish War and World War II. Here they are well remembered and honored.

Bulgaria and Russia share a long and rich history that goes back centuries, long before we established diplomatic relations. A common faith, alphabet, Slavic roots - all this explains our special closeness, which is still very much there even in the difficult period we are going through today. Small wonder, since our spiritual, cultural and literary ties go back more than 11 centuries.

Russians have always had this sort of a fellow feeling towards Bulgaria. We honor the memory of Cyril and Methodius as the creators of Slavic alphabet, and do not forget the Bulgarian origin of one of the Patriarchs of Moscow - Cyprian. Bulgarians remember well who liberated them from the Ottoman yoke and pay tribute to the Russian soldiers and Bulgarian militiamen who went shoulder to shoulder into battle for Svishtov, Pleven, Shipka and Plovdiv.

N.K.: What are the areas that our two countries still cooperate in?

E.M.: We maintain economic ties, albeit at a much lower level compared to 2021, as well as cultural and humanitarian ties and ties between non-governmental organizations. We also have contacts between our law enforcement agencies when it comes to the deportation of criminals.

N.K.: Each year, on March 3, the heroes of Plevna are honored at a chapel in Moscow, dedicated to their memory. Previously you, as the head of Rossotrudnichestvo, laid a basket of roses there in the colors of our national flag. Now that you are in Bulgaria, how is this event celebrated there commemorating the liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman yoke by Russian grenadiers?

E.M.: March 3 is a national holiday in Bulgaria. Russian representatives have traditionally been guests of honor at this holiday, but since 2022, we have not received official invitations.

We - the Russian embassy, ​​compatriots and representatives of friendly NGOs – visit, separately from the local authorities, the city of Pleven and Shipka, where we lay wreaths to the Russian soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice liberating Bulgaria from Turkish oppression. Many Bulgarians come there with Russian and Bulgarian flags. In Sofia, we lay flowers at the monument to the Tsar-Liberator Alexander II. It is always a very solemn and touching moment.

N.K.: Do you think the current shift in relations between Moscow and Washington might somehow help revive cooperation between Russia and Bulgaria?

E.M.: I do not foresee any cooperation at the official level any time soon.  Bulgaria primarily takes its cue from the European Union, and the European Union is currently in a militaristic frenzy.

Moreover, Bulgaria is increasingly trying to establish itself as one of the most loyal and obedient members of NATO and the EU. It is prioritizing the idea of ​​"predictability" in its foreign policy, which, in fact, means unquestioning adherence to the instructions they get from "decision-making centers."

This logic is consistent with the speedy modernization of the country’s armed forces, accession to European defense programs, essentially militarization, and, of course, with the openly anti-Russian course of the Bulgarian government. Sofia continues to publicly accuse us of unprovoked aggression, war crimes in Ukraine, attempts to conduct "disinformation campaigns" and "hybrid operations" in Europe. There are standing orders from the government to minimize or completely break off contacts between ministries, departments and other institutions, as well as with our embassy.

N.K.: What do constructively minded circles in Bulgaria value Russia for?

E.M.: First of all, these are memories of Bulgaria's liberation from the Turkish yoke, of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878. As I said before, the date of liberation, March 3, 1878, is a national holiday of Bulgaria. There are 580 monuments throughout the country dedicated to this event.

The events associated with World War II and the post-war period are a more complex story, though. As we know, Bulgaria fought on the side of Nazi Germany, but the Bulgarian Tsar Boris III refused to send troops to the Eastern Front. Besides, during the war years, the two countries’ embassies in Moscow and Sofia remained fully operational.

One can only imagine how hard put Tsar Boris III was finding arguments for not sending Bulgarian troops to fight the Soviet Union. His explanations varied from the Bulgarian army's unwillingness to weaken the locally deployed units in the face of a possible offensive by Greek and Turkish troops, to the Bulgarians’ deep-seated sense of gratitude to the Russian people for liberation from the Ottoman yoke. He argued that the Bulgarian soldiers on the Eastern Front would either shoot in the air or, still worse, fraternize with the Soviet army.

On the other hand, there was a serious guerrilla resistance movement in Bulgaria during the war, which the official authorities fought against. Many gave their lives for the country’s liberation from Nazi occupation. There was a very serious internal confrontation happening there after the war with people who had fought on the side of Nazi Germany executed or imprisoned. And there were many of them, as you understand.

The Soviet period in Bulgaria is now being officially presented as one having been forced on the country, occupied by the Soviet Union. This is, so to speak, a modern-day interpretation of the post-war period of Bulgarian history. Official figures prove quite the opposite though. During the Soviet period, Bulgaria held the 28^th place in the world in terms of living standards, while nowadays it is somewhere in 68^th. People are going through hard times now; young people are leaving, as they see no future for themselves at home. Meanwhile, those who lived and worked during the Soviet period, who studied with us, treat Russia with great warmth and respect. There are many of such people in Bulgaria.

As for the monuments to Soviet soldiers, there are about 180 of them. These are both real burials and symbolic memorials. In general, they are well maintained, looked after by our compatriots and Bulgarian organizations.

As you know, the monument to the Soviet Army in Sofia was dismantled under the pretext of it needing repairs. The sculpture was taken out, but we haven’t seen any repairs yet. There were calls to demolish the historical monument to "Alyosha" in Plovdiv, but neither the public nor the city administration supported such an "initiative."

N.K.: This year, Russian language specialists from Bulgaria visited Russia for the first time as part of the "New Generation" program. Previously, there had been cases of official persecution of Russian language teachers in Bulgaria. Does this mean that, despite the current cool in bilateral relations, interest in the Russian language persists?

E.A.: Despite the Bulgarian authorities’ Russophobic rhetoric, Russian language remain quite popular there. There are no restrictions on its use, study, or teaching; a national Russian language is currently being held.  Language courses at the Russian House in Sofia are in high demand.

Here are some figures. As of September 2024, 106,675 schoolchildren in 873 secondary educational institutions were studying the Russian language. There are 1,273 Russian language teachers working in the country’s secondary education system. There are 626 people attending Russian language courses at the Russian House in Sofia. One third of these are children aged five to 16. The most popular program is "Russian for Everyday Communication."

There are problems, of course. New geopolitical realities undoubtedly have an impact on the promotion of the Russian language. In the future, I see a shortage of Russian language teachers, interpreters and written translators, since fewer and fewer school graduates choose Russian philology and literature studies. This problem demands special attention.

N.K.: And the final question: how did they celebrate the 80^th anniversary of the Great Victory in Sofia?

E.M.: In Bulgaria, this event was held at a very good level. The main rallies took place on May 9 at the mass grave of Soviet soldiers in Sofia and at the monument to the liberator soldier "Alyosha" in Plovdiv. About 500 people gathered to honor the memory. Events held in both cities included a speech that I made and speeches by Bulgarian anti-fascists, wartime poems and songs, and the laying of flowers. We were joined by representatives of the diplomatic missions of the CIS countries and friendly countries.

The May 8-10 memorial ceremonies took place in 50 cities and villages all across Bulgaria, along with the "Immortal Regiment" and "St. George Ribbon" campaigns. Clean-up events were held at military burials throughout the country.

The Russian House held a festival of war films produced by Mosfilm. There was a very emotional meeting with representatives of the Council of Russian Veterans, combined with the World Video Conference "Memory Preserving Peace," organized by the St. Petersburg mayor's office. Heroes of the Great Patriotic War were presented with commemorative greetings from our President.

In March-May, nine theme-based exhibitions were held at the Russian House, along with a scientific and practical conference "The Historical Significance of the Victory over Fascism." Naturally enough, there was a solemn reception held at our embassy.

Overall, I can say that this year’s Victory Day celebrations went off without provocations by ill-wishers and interference from local authorities. All mass events were coordinated, guarded by the police, and separated in terms of location and time from protest events.

Unfortunately, there were also cases of desecration of Soviet burials and monuments, but this is now commonplace. Nevertheless, many Bulgarian citizens joined the May 9 celebrations, and all the solemn events were held at a very high level.

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