BNR state radio journalist Petar Volgin, who is known for his pro-Russian positions, started attending the party forums of “Vazrazhdane” after he was nominated as an MEP by the structures of the radical pro-Russian party, reported euractiv.bg.
Volgin has not yet officially answered whether he will accept the nomination, but he has gone on unpaid leave from the BNR, and on Friday (April 12), he attended an event organized by “Vazrazhdane” forum of far-right parties, which was held in Sofia.
The event was hosted by the leader of “Revival” Kostadin Kostadinov, who has a 10-year ban from entering Ukrainian territory because he is suspected by the authorities in Kyiv of being a Russian agent.
The nomination of the famous journalist as an MEP from the far-right party “Vazrazhdane“ directly affects the reputation of the BNR and the Bulgarian Media Regulator (SEM), which until now systematically refused to take Petar Volgin off the air.
„Not only Petar Volgin, but also every journalist from the Bulgarian National Radio, if he enters the party list – be it for national, be it European, local, whatever elections – this would mean a commitment to a political party, which would not allow him to carry out his work as a journalist”, commented the head of BNR, Milen Mitev.
Peter Volgin was the host of the BNR radio programs “12 plus 3“ and “Politically incorrect“.
After the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Volgin used the state radio airwaves to spread disinformation, the Ukrainian battalion “Azov“ captured two ships, one of which had 14 Bulgarian sailors on board. Then the media regulator sanctioned it with a “remark“.
In December 2023, Peter Volgin had an interview with the Russian ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanova, which forced the BNR leadership to ban the broadcast of the interview. Previously, the media regulator (SEM) checked the positions defended by Volgin on the air of BNR, identifying a “sense of propaganda suggestions” in his radio show.
Two weeks ago, the court in Sofia started the legal case caused by a collective action of the heirs of the victims of the communist terror in Bulgaria against Petar Volgin. The reason is Volgin's speech from 2023, with which he justifies the first major act of communist terror in Bulgaria – the so-called People's Court since 1944.