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Bulgaria and the war in Ukraine

joluoto

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NATO or Moscow? Bulgaria torn between Russia and the West

Recently a Bulgarian general was caught spying for Russia, and the the Defence Minister was fired for making a pro- Russia statement. Bulgaria is a NATO member but also have close historical ties to Russia. Especially the Socialist Party (which was formed form the ashes of the Bulgarian Communist Party in 1990) still has strong ties to Russia and voted against sanctions both in the Bulgarian parliament and the EU parliament. They are a part of PM Kiril Petkov's coalition, and this might well lead to the collapse of Petkov's government. But it goes further, a poll by the Alfa Research institute showed around 50% of Bulgarian had a positive view of Putin as late as early 2022. The division over East vs. West runs deep in the country.
 
Not surprising is it? I would guess that Putin has a lot of support in many post USSR countries.
 
Not surprising is it? I would guess that Putin has a lot of support in many post USSR countries.
Actually he doesn'treally, that what's makes Bulgaria somewhat unique.
 
Actually he doesn'treally, that what's makes Bulgaria somewhat unique.
A lot of Russian support has been under the radar until recently;

"In June ECFR carried out the first comprehensive survey of ‘insurgent’ parties in Europe. It found that, despite their differences, a majority of them are positively inclined towards Putin’s Russia and pursue policies that promote Russia’s interests in Europe."

"To what extent do the insurgent parties align with Russia? A majority of the 45 insurgent parties identified by ECFR were favourably inclined towards Russia and sympathised with Russian positions. The most pro-Russian of these parties (of a significant size) on the far right are: the AfD, FPÖ, Greece’s Golden Dawn, Hungary’s Jobbik, France’s Front National, Italy’s Northern League, the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP), and Belgium’s Vlaams Belang (VB). On the far left, the most pro-Russian parties are Cyprus’s AKEL, Germany’s Die Linke, the Czech Republic’s KSCM, Podemos in Spain, and Syriza. The Italian Five Star Movement and the Human Shield Party in Croatia also belong to the pro-Russian camp."

 
Not surprising is it? I would guess that Putin has a lot of support in many post USSR countries.
He should not have!
 
A lot of Russian support has been under the radar until recently;

"In June ECFR carried out the first comprehensive survey of ‘insurgent’ parties in Europe. It found that, despite their differences, a majority of them are positively inclined towards Putin’s Russia and pursue policies that promote Russia’s interests in Europe."

"To what extent do the insurgent parties align with Russia? A majority of the 45 insurgent parties identified by ECFR were favourably inclined towards Russia and sympathised with Russian positions. The most pro-Russian of these parties (of a significant size) on the far right are: the AfD, FPÖ, Greece’s Golden Dawn, Hungary’s Jobbik, France’s Front National, Italy’s Northern League, the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP), and Belgium’s Vlaams Belang (VB). On the far left, the most pro-Russian parties are Cyprus’s AKEL, Germany’s Die Linke, the Czech Republic’s KSCM, Podemos in Spain, and Syriza. The Italian Five Star Movement and the Human Shield Party in Croatia also belong to the pro-Russian camp."

Yes, there are parties (and many of them in Western Europe) that are Putin linked, but that doesn't mean the people in these countries has 50% positive view of Putin, and lot of people support these parties because other policies, and don't like Putin much. And when even Orban who gets starry eyed every time he sees Putin now has tojoin the condemnation of Russia, well let's just say Putin is losing his more important cronies and are left with weirdos on the fringes.
 
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