Is revival of pro-Russian political powers possible in Bulgaria?

At the same time, until recently, Bulgaria was a country that provided very tangible military and humanitarian aid. According to official data, Bulgaria provided USD 243 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine, however, more valuable was military aid in the form of shells for Soviet-type artillery, which is still the majority in Ukraine.

Last year, when the Ukrainian Armed Forces were experiencing a severe shortage of ammunition, exports of artillery shells from Bulgaria could account for 30% to 40% of all munitions coming to Ukraine. At the time, this was the largest share compared to the aid from all other countries.

Bulgaria has been in a political crisis for several years. The country's parliament has been dissolved three times. Despite this, the government managed to find an opportunity to transfer extremely important artillery shells to Ukraine. Initially, the parliament failed to vote on direct arms deliveries, but decided to provide military and material support to Ukraine. This allowed the government to sell the shells to Poland, from where they were supplied to the front. In the fall, the newly elected parliament did decide to supply arms directly, but this parliament was dissolved by President Rumen Radev in February due to the coalition crisis.

New elections will be held on April 2, in which the openly pro-Russian Revival Party has every chance of winning the largest support in its history, 12-15%. At the same time, Bulgarian voters are disillusioned and may ignore the elections, which will further strengthen the result of anti-European political forces.

Although the entire civilized world has long regarded Russia and its political elite as unpredictable and dangerous to global security, political movements calling for friendship with Russia continue to find support in the EU and NATO countries

The far-right Revival Party, for instance, is one of the most popular in the context of pro-Russian narratives in Bulgaria. Openly pro-Russian rhetoric, rebroadcasting even the most absurd Kremlin narratives, and fakes.

The Revival Party emerged relatively recently and has managed to enter the top three most popular parties among Bulgarians in a relatively short period of time. It makes no secret of its support for friendship and deeper cooperation with Russia, as well as its opposition to NATO and the EU. This is a very dangerous trend that could cause significant damage to the entire eastern NATO wing's national security and defense system, which, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, has become a key military aid center for Ukraine.

Kostadin Kostadinov, the leader of the Revival Party, is a hypocritical politician

Mr. Kostadinov's views on ethnic minorities, as well as his attacks on journalists, have sparked considerable debate. He is also known for his pro-Russian sentiments and has called for physical attacks on those who disagree with him, dubbing them "rabble" and "stupid scum" who should be "put to sleep like dangerous animals."

Kostadinov is also anti-Romani, referring to Roma as "parasites" and "inhuman parasites who have no place in Bulgaria."

In the summer of 2020, a Sofia court began proceedings to deprive Revival of its political party status, claiming that it was formed fraudulently by collecting forged signatures. But in May 2021, the Supreme Court of Cassation ruled in favor of Kostadinov's party, concluding that no violation had occurred.

During protests against Chief Prosecutor Ivan Geshev and the Borisov administration in September 2020, Kostadinov was detained by police.

His party was also known for opposing many anti-pandemic measures, promoting conspiracy theories, and issuing strong warnings about COVID-19 vaccines. He was barred from entering Ukraine for ten years in March 2022 due to his party's strong pro-Russian orientation in the context of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Bulgaria's political aspects

Bulgaria is a relatively democratic country that falls under the EU and NATO's economic and military umbrellas. It, unlike Ukraine, has not experienced the horrors of war and the devastation caused by "Russian diplomacy."

Nonetheless, destructive pro-Russian movements that gain a certain level of support among the local population in Eastern Europe and the Balkan countries play on ordinary citizens' economic problems caused by the Russian war.

Parties like Revival try to accuse national governments of incompetence by substituting facts, while calling for friendly actions and improved diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation. However, as practice has shown, the leaders of such pro-Russian movements are frequently Russian agents who collaborate with Russian special services, undermining their countries' national security and sovereignty.

So, there is hope that the national security services will not turn a blind eye to such openly pro-Russian forces and their provocations, but will instead respond swiftly and professionally.