Russia has included several Bulgarian politicians in its public list of “examples of manifestations of Russophobia“, BGNES reported, reports News.bg.
The list was published on the official website of the Russian Foreign Ministry and contains quotes from public statements by former Defense Minister Todor Tagarev, former Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov, acting Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev and current Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov.
The publication is entitled: “Examples of statements by officials and representatives of the elites of Western countries regarding Russia, in which “language of hatred“, 2024“ According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the document contains “the most extreme manifestations of Russophobic rhetoric“.
Among the examples cited are:
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Todor Tagarev's calls to combat Russian propaganda in the Bulgarian media and the education system
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Nikolai Denkov's statement on the one-sided presentation of Russia in Bulgarian history textbooks
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Positions of Dimitar Glavchev and Atanas Zapryanov in support of Ukraine and for an enhanced role for NATO in the Black Sea region
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, these statements demonstrate “hateful rhetoric“ towards Russia and are part of a broader international campaign to discrediting the country. The document does not have a formal sanctioning nature, but is part of Moscow's efforts to systematize and publish examples of public statements that, in its opinion, encourage hostility towards Russia.
We recall that at the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia officially included Bulgaria in its list of “enemy states“.
Previously, Moscow set an ultimatum to NATO for legally binding guarantees that the Alliance would withdraw to its 1997 positions. This would mean depriving countries such as Bulgaria, Romania, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania of real military protection.