Easy prey? Russia’s influence in Bulgaria
In early January, investigative journalist Christo Grozev addressed the Bulgarian parliament via videolink. His words shocked parliamentarians and the wider online audience alike.
Standing in front of an anonymous wall in an undisclosed location, Grozev explained that in April 2016 Russia had attempted to overthrow the government in Sofia.
According to his account, Russia’s military intelligence agency (the GRU) planned the coup, which was supposed to be carried out by two paramilitary groups in a similar fashion to the attempted coup in Montenegro the same year.
Grozev’s testimony suggested that the government at the time – led by Boyko Borissov and his GERB party – had already tiptoed around the issue of Russian meddling in Bulgaria before the coup. But, although the coup attempt was uncovered and stopped by chance, it seemed to make the government even more cautious about dealing with Russia’s influence in Bulgaria.
As Bulgaria approaches its fifth parliamentary election within two years, tackling Russia’s influence in the country through media and corrupt public figures should be a priority for Bulgarian and European policymakers.
Between 2014 and 2015, there were six explosions at Bulgarian warehouses and production facilities for military equipment, killing 16 people in total. Similar incidents took place in the Czech Republic around the same time.
Yet, while the Czech authorities worked to connect the explosions with the goal of disrupting deliveries for Ukraine – where military action had already started in the east – Bulgarian authorities failed to seriously investigate the explosions.
In his testimony, Grozev told parliament how his own investigation had found that the Russian agents Prague identified as the culprits had visited Bulgaria at the time of the explosions.
However, when asked by the Czech authorities to share relevant information, Bulgarian institutions did not submit the data connecting them to Russia, claiming instead that the explosions simply resulted from human negligence.
This was not a one-off case. Grozev has traced Russia’s influence in Bulgarian affairs over several years. He explained that a large number of Russian agents operate in Bulgaria throughout politics, media, and institutions, working to advance Russian interests. “They see Bulgaria as easy prey”, Grozev said.
To continue reading, please visit the website of the European Council on Foreign Relations.
