On May 9, Russia celebrates Victory Day - the 81st anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in the Great Patriotic War. At the same time, Europe Day is also celebrated on this date - a holiday of peace and unity in the European Union. What do we celebrate on May 9 - Victory Day or Europe Day? The topic caused a heated debate in the program “Offensive with Lyubo Ognyanov” on NOVA NEWS between historian Assoc. Prof. Svetoslav Zhivkov and journalist Alexander Simov.
The two commented on whether there was a Soviet occupation in our country or was the victory over Nazi Germany a liberation? “Soviet occupation does not exist. The Soviet army entered Bulgaria and stayed until the signing of the peace treaty, then left“, said Simov, disputing the thesis that Bulgaria was under Soviet occupation after September 9, 1944.
Assoc. Prof. Zhivkov, however, categorically took the opposite position “The entry of foreign troops and the seizure of foreign territory without the consent of the state is called occupation“. The historian emphasized that Bulgaria was an ally of Nazi Germany until September 1944, and the presence of the Red Army led to the establishment of Soviet influence over the country.
The two also recalled the beginning of World War II and the “Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact“. According to Simov, historical events should be viewed in the context of the policy of Western countries before the war. “Before the treaty with Hitler, the Western powers gifted him territory after territory. From the USSR's point of view, it looks as if Hitler is being directed eastward," he said.
Zhivkov described such a thesis as a "distortion of the facts" and stressed that the treaty between the USSR and Germany led to the partition of Poland and subsequent aggression against other countries in Eastern Europe.