Bulgarian journalist Aleksandar Andreev raises the issue of whether Bulgaria is a Trojan Horse of Russia in the European Union. In his remarks to the German – Bulgarian Forum in Berlin, Andreev points to the high level of sympathy for Russia in Bulgaria.

We have deeply entrenched historic, cultural and religious reasons for this. Before the Russian war against Ukraine, Putin enjoyed the support of about 50 percent of those polled in Bulgaria. That is now down to 25 percent, but it is still frighteningly high. Today, 63 percent of Bulgarians believe that it is better to be in alliance with NATO and the EU than with Russia. Still, it is a large, and hopeless gap in Bulgarian society, Andreev warns.

He points to Bulgaria’s dependence on Russian energy sources, including uranium for the Kozloduj nuclear plant, and the large numbers of Russians visiting Bulgaria and owning property there.

Another political development, perhaps less visible, is the Bulgarian veto against Macedonia’s EU accession talks. This veto is supported by a huge majority of Bulgarians and is fully in line with Russian propaganda. Since the 19th century Russia considers itself a power that wants to control the Balkans. Putin continued with this policy and fights with all his might to stop the entry of Balkan countries in EU and NATO, Andreev says.