Bulgarian MPs push to investigate Russian influence after Romanian election scandal

Russian interests and propaganda have deeply infiltrated Bulgaria, Ivaylo Mirchev, an MP from We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria, told Euractiv.

A Romanian investigation into the annulled presidential elections revealed ties between nationalist candidate Călin Georgescu’s campaign and a Russian digital agency. The same agency was linked to over 50 Bulgarian companies registered in Plovdiv, Bulgaria’s second-largest city, according to Mirchev.

These companies operate in the same industry, are registered under one person, and share connections with Kremlin-affiliated energy funding, Mirchev said. He added that Bulgaria's "dysfunctional services and institutions" necessitate creating a parliamentary committee to gather evidence of Russian influence.

The investigative group BG Elves also reported a network of Plovdiv-based firms tied to Russian interests. These companies are owned by a Georgian national and play a key role in spreading pro-Russian propaganda across Europe, particularly in Romania, Hungary, Greece, Bosnia, and Bulgaria.

“These Bulgarian companies, run by Russians, have significantly influenced the electoral outcomes in Romania and Bulgaria, as well as across Europe,” BG Elves stated, highlighting their impact on social media. The group claims this Plovdiv business cluster generates millions of daily impressions, bombarding targeted groups with Russian content up to 10 times per month.

Euractiv reached out to the Georgian owner, identified as George A., but received no response. Meanwhile, Bulgarian investigative journalists have been urged to expose how these networks manipulate social media to exert Russian influence in the region.

“From this Romanian report, we traced 51 companies registered under the name of a Georgian citizen,” BG Elves noted. “Many were set up on the same day, mostly in 2024. We have official emails, Facebook profiles, phone numbers, and addresses of many employees at these firms. But there are truly hundreds of them. And they are all Russian.”

Bulgarian lawmakers say exposing these networks is essential to countering Russian propaganda and protecting the country's democratic processes.