Posted on 09/25/2022 2:16:38 PM PDT by FarCenter
Wearing T-shirts showing Russian bears, waving flags with "Z" symbols, and holding pictures of Putin aloft -- the Ukraine war has not deterred Bulgarian Russophiles, who rallied in the centre of the country on Sunday to show their support.
The Balkan state -- an EU and NATO member with historically close ties to Russia -- still has many citizens nostalgic for the former Communist regime.
The pro-Moscow rally came as Sofia readies to return to the polls and the country grapples with its identity.
Hristo Ganev, a 60-year-old driver, had arrived at Sunday's event early and bought a T-shirt emblazoned with the "Z" of the Ukraine offensive from one of the many stalls selling trinkets and souvenirs.
"Without Russia, Bulgaria would not have existed," he told AFP, referring to the Russo-Turkish war of 1877-1878, in which Russia freed Bulgaria from five centuries of Ottoman domination.
Ganev is married to a Russian he met when he was working in Siberia in the 1980s, and says he supports President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.
He believes Putin's claim that the troops are needed to "fight Nazism" and says he is even in favour of a nuclear war, "if that is the price to pay to free yourself from American domination".
...
Staunch pro-European Prime Minister Kiril Petkov will seek to return to power in the upcoming election on October 2.
He won the last ballot in November 2021, but his cabinet was overthrown by a motion of no-confidence in June.
The conservative Boiko Borissov, who led the country almost continuously between 2009 and 2021, is the contender almost certain to win.
But analysts warn that he may have difficulty building a coalition, and some are predicting another poll in the months to come.
(Excerpt) Read more at france24.com ...
But Bulgarians did fight for the Central Powers, which included The Ottoman Empire, in WWI.
Big deal, every former Communist country has its share of old farts who still thought Communist times were better.
1/4
Speaking of the EU:
European Union President Proposes Cutting Off Electricity to Consumers to ‘Flatten the Curve’
9/13/22
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4093184/posts
2/4
WION
9/4/22
Around 70,000 people protest against government in Prague over rising inflation
3/4
BBC News
Energy crisis: Could Italy’s next government drop Russian sanctions?
9/16/22
4/4
WION
Belgium Residents Protest High Cost of Living
9/22/22
Thousands gathered in Brussels, Belgium today to demand the government take more action as many struggle to pay bills. Energy prices in Belgium and other European countries have shot up over the past months, partly driven by the fallout of the war in Ukraine. Our correspondent Rosie Birchard spoke to some of the protesters about their concerns as Europe’s winter approaches.
Sweden, Italy, Slovakia, Bulgaria...sounds like ‘throw the EU bums out’ is gaining momentum.
“The announced partial mobilization and the so-called referendums in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions are another attempt to legitimize Russia's invasion of Ukraine”, commented the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and former ambassador of Bulgaria to Ukraine Kostadin Kojabashev at the regular briefing of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to him, EU and NATO partners should strengthen support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and the so-called referendums and their results will not be recognized.
https://www.novinite.com/articles/216825/Bulgaria%E2%80%99s+MFA%3A+The+so-called+Referendums+in+Ukraine+will+Not+be+Recognized
And the rezident putards get all dreamy eyed and oil themselves up when they see him riding a horse while shirtless.
It’s pretty easy to dismiss anyone who thinks Nuking of Ukraine is good idea.
“But Bulgarians did fight for the Central Powers, which included The Ottoman Empire, in WWI.”
Bulgaria also opportunistically alled with the Axis powers in 1941 until 1944, although there was considerable resistance led by the Communist Party.
Good for them. Vs. The Forked Tongue.
Being a Russophile does not have to be the same as pro-Putin.
In fact I would argue that if one cares about Russia’s future, one should wish for Putin to GO.
“Russo-Turkish war of 1877-1878” — yes, this is correctly a linchpin in Bulgaria’s struggle for independence.
Many Bulgarians I’ve met who are 40+ say they remember Russia’s help in the 19th century but say that what Russia did in the 20th century negated a lot of the good they did in the 19th.
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