A special note from the translator: As a Bulgarian, I have translated in good faith and on a goodwill basis from Russian to English the following brief article, as a small example on the topic of Bulgarian-Russian friendship underlined by the complex events in our mutual history.
Let this also serve as a warning to all those external and internal forces and opportunist elements who might try to sully our good brotherly relations and try to apply the divide and conquer doctrine. No amount of propaganda and spin stints, and petty actions can accomplish that. On the contrary – it will only lead to eventual pain and loss to their perpetrators.
Four Myths About Bulgaria During the Second World War
by Vyacheslav Bondarenko
translation by Veleslav Grivov for The Saker Blog
Over the past few years, at the slightest deterioration in the relations between Bulgaria and Russia, the Russian-language segment of the Internet, as a rule, explodes with indignation. Moreover, this indignation is very standard: “We liberated them, and they betrayed us”, “both in the First and Second World Wars they fought against us” … All this is said without a shadow of doubt, and each of those couch experts, without noticing, drives in a wedge into the kinship of the Bulgarian and Russian peoples.
This material is intended to debunk some of the most popular myths on the Internet about the “betrayal” of Bulgaria and the Bulgarians in World War II and recall several forgotten facts.
So, the first myth is that Bulgaria fought against the USSR together with Hitler’s Germany and its other allies (translator’s note: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics or simply The Soviet Union).
Not true. Bulgaria was indeed an official ally of Nazi Germany from March 1, 1941, when she joined the Berlin-Rome-Tokyo axis, but unlike Italy, Finland, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and Croatia, she did not declare war on the Soviet Union. From December 13, 1941, she was at war with the United States and Great Britain – but not with the USSR.
Why did this happen? Because the tsar (king) of Bulgaria, Boris III, knew perfectly well that his people simply would not go to war against the Russians. A good attitude towards Russia has been in the blood of the Bulgarians since the days of the Russo-Turkish Liberation War of 1877-78, when the Russians and Bulgarians together shed blood on Shipka¹ (translator’s note: Mount Shipka Pass is a scenic mountain pass through the Balkan Mountains in Bulgaria – where a Bulgarian-Russian contingent of approximately 7,500 men defended the Shipka Pass against a Turkish Army of approximately 40,000). Therefore, the decision to enter the country in a war with the USSR would cause massive protests and indignation in the country, and real chaos could begin.
The fact that the Bulgarians had a massive sympathy for Russia, albeit Soviet, is evidenced by the so-called “Sobolev’s rally”, which took place in November of 1940. Then the USSR, represented by the diplomat Arkady Alexandrovich Sobolev, suggested that Bulgaria conclude a mutual assistance pact. The king hesitated – he remembered that for the Baltic countries the conclusion of similar pacts soon turned into a loss of independence. But the alternative was Hitler, to whom Boris III did not feel any sympathy (translator’s note: Note that Boris III was of German ancestry – the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha)… And then letters from the Bulgarians began to arrive in heaps at the tsar’s palace with a demand to conclude the alliance with the USSR. In total, one and a half million (!) people had signed up to these demands – out of seven million who lived in the country. Then, Prime Minister Bogdan Filov (translator’s note: tried and sentenced by a People’s Court, and executed by a firing squad in February of 1945) persuaded the tsar not to sign an agreement with Moscow, but the fact remained that a huge number of Bulgarians were supporters of precisely this decision and did not feel any enthusiasm for the fact that the government had allied with Hitler.
One way or another, Bulgaria did not begin to fight the USSR, despite all the requests from Hitler. Moreover, the diplomatic relations between the two countries were not even broken. The Soviet embassy in Sofia and the Bulgarian Embassy in Moscow continued to work quite calmly after June 22, 1941. When an “anti-Bolshevik” exhibition was opened in Sofia in 1942, the Embassy of the USSR protested and the exhibition was closed.
Bulgaria and the USSR found themselves in a state of war only on September 5, 1944, when the USSR declared war on Bulgaria, and Soviet troops began to cross the Bulgarian border. However, no one resisted them, on the contrary, people joyfully welcomed the Red Army. At the same time, on September 8, Bulgaria declared war on Germany, and an unique situation arose when Bulgaria was simultaneously at war with the USSR, Germany, the USA and Great Britain. True, this did not last very long: on September 9, a coup d’etat took place in the country and from 10.00pm on that day, the Red Army actions against Bulgaria were discontinued, and Bulgaria immediately began the formation of People’s Army, which in 1944-45 participated in battles against Nazi Germany and its allies. On October 28, 1944, a truce was signed between the USSR and Bulgaria. In fact, by that day, both countries had already been actively fighting together against Germany and its allies for a month.
The second myth is that between the USSR and Bulgaria in 1941-44, there were no military incidents at all.
Not true. There were incidents. After the outbreak of World War II, the Soviet Black Sea Fleet deployed four combat positions of submarines in Bulgarian territorial waters in August, and in October there were five such positions. The Bulgarian “Shipka” transport vessel was blown up and sank by Soviet mines, and on September 9, 1941, the Soviet submarine Л-4 sank the Bulgarian schooner “Success” with cannon fire. In response, Bulgarian bombers repeatedly attacked Soviet submarines seen off the Bulgarian coasts, but managed to sink only one – Щ-204 (December 6, near Varna). In addition, the C-34 submarine on November 12 was blown up by Bulgarian mines at Cape Emine. This fighting at sea was limited.
In 1942, there was a case when Soviet planes bombed Bulgarian cities. On the night of September 12-13, bombs were dropped on the cities of Stara Zagora (one person died, 17 wounded), Kazanlak, Ruse and Gorna Oryahovitsa (two wounded). (translator’s note²: Compare the previous with the bombing raids carried out by the United States’ Air Force and Royal Air Force in 1943–1944 that resulted in the deaths of 1,374, with an additional 1,743 being injured. The number of buildings damaged were 12,564 of which 2,670 completely destroyed. Sixty motor cars and 55 trailers were also destroyed. The Allies lost a total of 117 aircraft. Among the historic buildings destroyed were several schools and hotels, as well as the State Printing House, the Regional Court, the Small Baths and the National Library. These were not restored to their original appearance. The Bulgarian National Theatre, the Bulgarian Agricultural Bank, the Theological Faculty of Sofia University, the Museum of Natural History, the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and other buildings were damaged but subsequently reconstructed.) These attacks were of “political” significance – the USSR wanted to demonstrate to both allies and opponents the capabilities of its long-range aviation. At the same time, Budapest and Bucharest were also bombed. But if the USSR fought against Hungary and Romania, she did not with Bulgaria. So from any point of view, this act can be considered an aerial aggression.
In addition, from February 1942 on the Eastern Front, namely in the Ukraine and Belarus, there was a Bulgarian military-sanitary train, serving, of course, the German allies. However, it cannot be regarded as a combat unit, since it acted under the auspices of the Red Cross, which means it was not considered a military unit.
One way or another, one thing is important – all these facts did not lead to full-fledged hostilities between Bulgaria and the USSR.
Myth three – in Bulgaria there was no resistance movement.
Not true. The first partisan (guerilla) groups appeared in Bulgaria in the summer of 1941. According to the police, in 1942, there were 381 partisans in Bulgaria, united in 27 detachments. The successes of the Red Army gave a powerful impetus to the development of the partisan movement in Bulgaria. In 1943, the People’s Liberation Rebel Army (NOVA – Народно-Освободителна Въстанническа Армя) was created in Bulgaria. At the beginning of 1944, the government decided to end the partisans by creating the gendarmerie (5 thousand people) and the “Asen” army special forces, particularly for these purposes. However, the two large-scale attacks they launched against the partisans were unsuccessful. At the time of the September 9 coup in Bulgaria, there were 1 partisan division, 9 brigades, 36 platoons, and several separate detachments in which 7,000 people fought (according to more recent estimates, up to 30 thousand). There were many more volunteer helpers of the partisans – called the Yataks (they helped with food, conducted reconnaissance, kept safe houses, hid weapons, etc.): there were about 200 thousand of them.
In addition, a communist underground was actively operating in Bulgaria, carrying out sabotage against the Bulgarian and German troops stationed in Bulgaria. The Bulgarian Army General Vladimir Zaimov, who was executed in 1942 for espionage in favor of the USSR, was posthumously awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union in 1972.
Of course, it is difficult to compare the Bulgarian partisan movement in scope with the Yugoslav or Greek, however, it did exist and made a rather noticeable contribution to the struggle against fascism.
The fourth myth – in 1944-45, the Bulgarians fought only formally and did not help the Red Army in the defeat of fascism.
Not true. The Bulgarian People’s Army made a worthy contribution to the defeat of Nazism. Already on September 28, 1944, a month before the signing of the armistice between Bulgaria and the USSR, the Bulgarian People’s Army went into battle against the Nazis, attacking them in the Yugoslav cities of Leskovac and Nis. On October 8-14, 1944, the Bulgarians, together with the Yugoslav People’s Liberation Army and the Red Army, defeated the 7th SS Mountain Division “Prince Eugen” near the city of Nis. On October 15, 1944, the Bulgarian army defeated the 22nd Wehrmacht Infantry Division in Macedonia, liberating the cities of Veles and Skopje. From October 22 to November 21, 1944, with the assistance of the Yugoslavs, the Bulgarians liberated the area of Kosovo Pole, the cities of Pristina, Kosovsk-Mitrovica. From March 6 to March 15, 1945, the Bulgarian army, as part of the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, fought near the Hungarian Lake Balaton, taking the cities of Drava Sabolch, Drava Polkonya and several others. Finally, on April 15, 1945, the Bulgarians liberated the city of Doni Mihol.
In the battles against the Bulgarians, the Nazis lost 69 thousand people killed and captured, 21 aircraft, 75 tanks and self-propelled guns, 937 guns and mortars, 4 thousand cars, 71 steam locomotives, 5,769 wagons.
In total, for the period of September 1944 – May 1945, the Bulgarian People’s Army lost 10,124 people killed and 21,541 wounded in battle. 360 Bulgarian officers and soldiers were awarded Soviet orders and medals, while 750 Soviet officers and soldiers – Bulgarian ones.
The only foreign military leader to take part in the Victory Parade in Moscow on June 24, 1945 was Bulgarian General Vladimir Stoichev. In 2014, a monument was unveiled to him in Sofia.
From all of the above, we see that everything is far from as simple and understandable as it seems to the (mouse) clickers who condemn the “traitors”. Rather, the facts indicate the opposite. If the Bulgarians were traitors, they would readily send their army to the Eastern Front, as the Finns, Hungarians, Slovaks, Croats, Italians, Romanians did.
If the Bulgarians were traitors, they would not have created partisan units that fought for three years.
If the Bulgarians were traitors, they would have met the Red Army on September 5, 1944, not with flowers and posters “Welcome, Our Liberators!”, but with bullets and grenades.
If the Bulgarians were traitors, there would be no Bulgarian People’s Army, which destroyed almost 70 thousand Nazis and their allies.
Finally, if the Bulgarians were traitors, their general would not have marched in the same ranks as the Soviet ones in the Victory Parade.
This is what should be remembered by those who accuse the Bulgarians of “betrayal”. They forget (or do not know) that every case of driving a wedge between our countries and peoples is a provocation sowing the dragon’s teeth between friends. Bulgars in their mass have always been Russophiles. Our goal today is to prevent the Russians from becoming Bulgarophobes.
Vyacheslav Bondarenko
Vyacheslav Vasilievich Bondarenko (born May 9, 1974, Riga, Latvian SSR) is a Russian-speaking Belarusian writer, TV presenter, historian, and public figure. He is a Member of the Presidium of the Board of the Union of Writers of Belarus and Member of the Union of Writers of Russia.
I do not know him but after a bit of research I found that the article is based on a documentary 10-part TV series called Освобождённая Европа (Liberated Europe) and he is the screenwriter.
Notes:
¹ Shipka Pass
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Shipka_Pass
and
Паметник на свободата, Шипка // Shipka, Bulgaria
² Bombing of Sofia in World War II
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of_Sofia_in_World_War_II
Bravo, excellent article! One of my favorite movies of all time happens to be ”Heroes of Shipka”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vixO6P0EMdU
May Bulgaria and Russia endure together in amity, to the very end of the world!
Doesn’t help people to get to know these misunderstandings you mention about the WW II period re: Bulgaria, when you see really bad history files put up like this one, near 100 minutes long which is total garbage & fill, barely anything on topic.
Obviously they couldn’t bother to expend proper research money into this episode (british-made) because it’s “only the balkans”.
Battlefield S6/E5 – Campaign in the Balkans
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgeJo7l9NUk
says NBC 2002, shown on PBS but i’m sure this was made in the early 1960’s.
Just look at the reviews below savage it:
As a documentary about the Balkins, this is awful. It barely covers Balkin affairs but does cover soup to nuts Europe WWII.
There’s a few more up utube, but many are just clips. Here’s an hour-long one not reviewed by me, but it’s the 1999 nato war:
Secrets Of War, The Price Of War 04 The Balkans Tinderbox
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_-kqfBWBl0
I am a serving officer with the RCN, during my 30yrs I have read extensively about ww2 as part of my ongoing training. I can absolutely say I did not know this. I was true.y convinced that Bulgaria was in total support of the Germans.
Even old sea dogs can learn something new. Thank you.
Shane
Yes, you were right. Bulgaria was indeed in total support of the Germans. During the First World War, Bulgaria was a German and Austrian ally. During the Second World War, they repeated the alliance, only switching sides when the Red Army started approaching the country. What the author does not mention – intentionally – is that during the Second World War Bulgaria, with German backing, occupied eastern Serbia and Macedonia, committing horrible crimes. In eastern Serbia they even tried converting Serbs into Bulgarians.
Bulgarians love to fluctuate between the East and West, very much what Erdogan is currently doing. They even sabotaged the Russian Southern Stream gas pipeline, which originally was intended to go through Bulgaria. After that, in true Bulgarian fashion, they changed their minds, ie. sides.
It’s what little fish do when in a bowl with big fish. I’m sure many countries would prefer to be an island.
You are repeating what the author of the article wrote basicaly.
Horrible crimes in Macedonia ? Killing your puppet king Alexander is the only one documented, and it happend it France.
I do not understand how some keyboard Serbs think they will get in Russia’s good graces more if they smear Bulgarian people.
The article shows deep sentiment of friendship existing among two Slav and Christian Orthodox people, Bulgarians and Russians, and provides little known information about Bulgaria during the WWII. Friendship and solidarity shown during the time of liberation wars is something that should be cherished and celebrated and for that I welcome this article.
As for the WWII, unfortunately, this overall positive picture of Bulgarians should be corrected with a few facts: First, in April 1941. Bulgar army along with the Nazi Germany and fascist Italy and Fascist Hungary attacked Kingdom of Yugoslavia who refused to join Hitler. Second, Bulgarian fascists during 3,5 years of occupation of Eastern Serbia Macedonia in Yugoslavia (April 1941- September 1944) have committed horrible crimes against civil population in the area where Serbian Partisan movement was strong, not to mention extermination of Gipsies and Jews. Third, honorable successes of Bulgarian People’s Army in fighting Germans happened when Germany in September 1944 decided to withdrew its troops from Bulgaria and Greece (Group of Armies ‘E’).
Bulgarians – people have alwas been pro-russian, political elite never pro-russian
Bulgarians are very good fence sitters. They supported Hitler, but say that they were clever enough not to send any troops to Stalingrad, unlike the stupid Hungarians, Romanians, etc.
Recently, during the Ukrainian gas fiasco, Bulgaria messed up Russia’s South Stream plans by preventing the pipelines from passing through Bulgaria, only to have a change of mind again later and were begging Russia to use Bulgaria as a transit country, where the pipeline goes now I don’t even know. Bulgaria has also been supportive and then not supportive of NATO maneuvers in the Black Sea.
You can trust a Bulgarian as much as you can trust a Turk, just ask the Serbs, and every Russian knows that they can trust the Serbs. Its like that bacon and egg breakfast, the pig is committed but the chicken is only involved.
gT
What you have written is correct. Bulgarians were German and Austrian allies in the First World War, and they repeated the alliance in the Second World War. They only switched sides when the Red Army approached Bulgaria.
During the Second World War the Bulgarian Army, in conjunction with the German Army, occupied eastern Serbia and Macedonia, committing horrible crimes. When the Red Army appeared, they switched sides, becoming “liberators”, which is laughable. I am surprised The Saker posted this article on his website, as it’s nothing but propaganda.
Serbia remmembers Bulgarians from the WWI.
All in all, a whitewash article. For the last 100+ years Bulgaria has ALWAYS been on the wrong side.
First Balkan war 1912 – attempted run for the Egean coast despite the agreement ith Greece; disputes with Serbia over Macedonia partition; Serbian 2. Army had to go and take Adrianopolis from the Turks, handed it to Bulgaria and then were attacked by guerilla while going back.
Second Balkan war 1913 – Bulgaria attacked Serbia in order to take Macedonia. War eneded by combined action of Serbia, Greece and Romania to defeat Bulgaria.
First World War 1914 – Austro-Hungarian empire attacked Serbia. Bulgaria joined in from the back when the Serbian army was retreating. Untold horrors and slaughter of Serbs by Bulgarians on occupied territories. In 1918, as soon as the Serbian army broke through Bulgarian lines, they capitulated to prevent Serbs enacting revenge in Bulgaria.
WW2 1941 – Germany invades Serbia, Bulgaria joines in from the back (sounds familiar). Untold horrors and slaughter of Serbs by Bulgarians on occupied territories. Serbian partisan movement numbered over 1 million at the end of the war.
1999 Bulgaria supported NATO attack on Serbia and allowed the use of its airspace. Also they took in Albanian “refugees”.
2004 Bulgaria joines NATO – anti Russian alliance
2014 Bulgaria block Southstream pipeline
All in all, an eternal, true friend to Orthodox Slavic brothers Russia and Serbia.
Russia only have themselves to blame if Balkan nations are against them.
The important thing is how Russians treat themselves and their neighbors.
How be it even Lenin himself disliked the typical Russian because they are gods of bullying and that pushed him to great resolve in creating the USSR.The evidence is there for every one to see even if you are blind and deaf.
Look at the state of relations in the Balkans today;Now it’s Ukraine, yesterday Georgia,the day before Poland, tommorow Belarus.Russia is always disturbing the peace of the Balkans and everyone knows this.
Are the people’s of those nations fools?
Will they just wake up one morning,brush their teeth and decide to join NATO if Russia is not a threat or does anyone think that they themselves are happy to join NATO,if Russia was not an existential threat?
Let’s take a look at how Russia treated the Polish officers that surrendered to them without firing a single shot.Russians are murderers by nature and there’s to be apologies about it because that is how they’re.That was why Stalin was able to succeed because he learned from them.Even though he had negativity tendencies somewhat that he employed in getting the job done, murder was not one of them.He learned murder from Russians.
Let’s compare how Germany treated their allies to how the Soviets treated theirs.
First of all, who told you the Balkan nations are against Russia? If Lenins thoughts are inspiring to you, well, he was a bearer of an western cocncocted ideology, and western agendas financed his ascent to power. Maybe not surprising that yoou find that inspiring, if you consider the Russians the born murderers.
As for the Russian treatment of her allies, Poland has grown almost twice in size thanks to the Russians. DDR was the highly favored ally of the USSR. Now try imagining Russians invading Britain with an intention of destroying half the population and turning the rest into slaves of their settlers, and imagine that Britain wins at the end, occupying Russia. Would any Russians survive? Exchange the Brittons with Germans, Americans, or any other western nation, and ask yourself the same question.
And the Germans not only survived in the Russian hands; if you ask the Germans today about their attitudes to Russians, you ll find the opinions most favorable exactly in the East Germany.
Your disgusting sentences that Russians are born murderers are a disgrace, and can be considered hate-speech motivated by deep xenophoby. If I were the moderator here, your post would have certainly not been presented here. It is radiating your hate and fear, and you could transmit them somewhere else as well.
John go and find the truth, you are not acting your part very well and of course remember the USSR and Russia are 2 totally different identities. While you are at this check who built the ideoligy of the USSR and who supported it. Russia on the other hand has had its moments but always did the right thing in the long term,of course there will be friend and foe out there who will run me down. The finger pokers are mainly from countries who have no past history or it is that bad they carn’t mention it.Europe has a long and distinguised history not all was right.Where as with modern countries nothing is right yet.
You just confirmed what Bosnian Croat just said “Bulgarian people have alwas been pro-russian, political elite never pro-russian”
Regarding “albanian refugees” you are wrong. I was in the area at that time. Bulgarians stubbornly refused to take even a single kosovar (“albanian”). Instead they built two camps on the border of Macedonia and Kosovo. But they took lots of Serbians.
They also made a map of places forbidden for NATO to fly over (nuclear plant, some industrial places etc), wich made this route completely unusable,but let the Russians land in Sofia airport their biggest airplane ever – Ruslan, with a military help for Serbians. Enraged Wesley Clark a lot.
At the end of WWI my mother and grandmother lived in Sombor on north east corner of Serbia near Danube river. Russian and Yugoslav partisan had very hard time crossing Danube and a lot of them died, ~2000.
Bulgarian forces were also involved on side of the Russian but Bulgarian soldiers were looking for every oportunity to hide and not go to fighting on Bezdan(east side of Danube) and Batina. Everytime when my mother and grandmother were going to outside toilet they had to be carefull since their toilet was favorite hiding place for Bulgarian soldiers.Similar things were hapening everywhere in Sombor.
This article is written in the spirit of re-bonding Russians and Bulgarians and as such is commendable, albeit it is a half truth. It’s aimed towards the Russian populace and that’s all fine. The full story is that the Bulgarians didn’t go eastwards (towards Russia) and that is used here in order to bridge some gaps between similar peoples.
Bulgaria did go westwards and their worst imperial dreams were unleashed in Serbia proper and Old (south) Serbia (today Norther Macedonia).
It does all Slavs a great service if we cooperate – and I get that this article is written in this spirit. Bulgaria has unfortunately proved itself unreliable and someone compared it with Erdogan Turkey and that has historically been correct. There is a Serbian saying “don’t turn your back on a Bulgar” – but be it that Serbia (a true Russofile country) and Russia have Bulgaria in between it’s the best for everyone if we cooperate to the highest respect. Bulgaria should prove an Orthodox friend and revoke the recognition of Kosovo before any hope for further trust can be established.
So far Bulgaria has shown little sovereignty in able to resist western will and acts repeatedly against the interests of their Orthodox brethren. Change that and the Russians will notice, simply not being the worst possible historical henchmen isn’t gonna be enough. Actions, only actions.
Finally a true presentation of the Bulgarian sentiment towards the Russians. The Bulgarians are, together with the Serbs, the best friends of the Russians – they are their genuine Slavonic brothers. This should not be forgotten by the Russians. However, this could not be said about the current Bulgarian governments, which are deplorable stooges of the EU and western cabal. This obscures the true situation.
Bulgarians are remembered in Serbia, from 1.st and 2.nd WW, as extremely cruel occupiers. It is said that they raped, torched and killed tens of thousands Serbs. We suspect they were ordered to do so from their masters – Englishmen and Germans, in order to prevent any friendship and alliance with Serbs.
My mother remembered the Bulgarians well.
They raped and slit the throat of her best friend. She was ten years old.
They slit the throat of the old woman next door too. And burned down her house.
They also executed around 40 wounded partisans they found in a field hospital in caves nearby.
But not all of them were bad.
A neighbour’s life was saved by a Bulgarian soldier who was escorting her and others to execution. He secretly untied her hands as she was walking. She then ran into the forest and escaped.
Oh, you underestimate the Bulgarian’s own initiative, I feel.
Bulgarians and Serbs, both peoples are Orthodox Christians, but from the earliest times they have been rivals in Balkan. And I think that they will never be true friends.
History of their relations is rather bloody and difficult.
Actually Serbian and Bulgarian peoples could easily normalize their inter-relations but unfortunately political interests have always been opposite.
Serbian president Vucic is somehow trying to show friendly face toward Bulgarians, but we will see if that strategy works or not.
Please excuse me ,did the Soviet Union not annex whole countries even before the war even began? Because one principal cause that turned Romania against the USSR was Soviet annexation of parts of Romanian territory.
That said though, Bulgaria never haboured seizing land from any nation cause if that happened the world by now should have been talking about it in historical documentaries.
Plus,the Soviet Union unlike Russia today,was a nation of absolute lies.Not a single grain of fact let alone truth ever came out from that government.It was so terrible that just the very little bit of truth that out of it destroyed it totally.
This is an example to nations that practice totalitarianism; when it crumbles,it crumbles totelly without any hope of regeneration.
wow, when you talk against Russians and the Soviet Union, you go ALL THE WAY eh?
As a Bulgarian, I can assure you that Bulgaria has always harbored imperialistic and land seizing wishes. Bulgaria in the middle ages used to be huge as compared to modern Bulgaria; a lot of the land now that belong to Serbia, Greece, Romania, Turkey used to be Bulgarian lands and Bulgaria has always dreamed to get them back. Especial Serbian land and Macedonian land; it is taken as a fact in Bulgaria that thsoe lands are Bulgarian.
As for your nasty comments about Soviet Union: buddy, you never lived in the Soviet Union. You don’t know anything about the Soviet Union and communism.
Lies? HA! Compared to the lies USA has said?
As somebody who grew up under Communism I can assure you that we had NO homeless and beggars, we all had free medical care and we had very little crime.
At that, the evil lairs Soviet union took a LOT better care of its own people than ANY Capitalism country ever did.
Calling Russians murderers and so on. Buddy, look in the mirror and tell me how many millions of people the imperialists of Anglo Saxons group and USA have killed over the hundreds of years. The number is in the hundreds of million of it is counted properly. Let’s count how many people were murdered total in Africa, North, Central and South America, Asia and Australia by the Anglo Saxons and USA. Counted how many Iraqis have USA murdered?
So reading through the comments, I can’t help but notice the derogatory comments from surprise…. serbs. How convenient that certain serbomen are quick to note the bulgarian “crimes” in Macedonia, while completely forgetting that the Bulgarian treatment of their countrymen was largely in response to what the “ethnically tolerant” serbs had done to the indigenous Bulgarian population of Macedonia only a few year earlier. A quick 10 second search on the internet reveals the following:
The region of present-day North Macedonia until 1912 was part of the Ottoman Empire. According to Encyclopædia Britannica 1911 Edition, at the beginning of the 20th century the Slavs constituted the majority of the population in Macedonia. Per Britannica itself the bulk of the Slavs there were regarded as “Bulgarians”. Immediately after annexation of Vardar Macedonia to the Kingdom of Serbia, the Macedonian Slavs were faced with the policy of FORCED SERBINIZATION.
We find here, as everywhere else, the ordinary measures of “Serbization” — the closing of schools, disarmament, invitations to schoolmasters to become Servian officials, nomination of “Serbomans”, “Grecomans” and Vlachs, as village headmen, orders to the clergy of obedience to the Servian Archbishop, acts of violence against influential individuals, prohibition of transit, multiplication of requisitions, forged signatures to declarations and patriotic telegrams, the organization of special bands, military executions in the villages and so forth.[38]
— Report of the International Commission on the Balkan Wars.
Got that oh so indignant serbs? Before you start accusing anyone of ethnic cleansing, better look in the mirror first. History may forgive, but it doesn’t forget.
Milan wrote:
“… Bulgarian fascists during 3,5 years of occupation of Eastern Serbia Macedonia in Yugoslavia (April 1941- September 1944) have committed horrible crimes against civil population in the area where Serbian Partisan movement was strong, not to mention extermination of Gipsies and Jews. Third, honorable successes of Bulgarian People’s Army in fighting Germans happened when Germany in September 1944 decided to withdrew its troops from Bulgaria and Greece (Group of Armies ‘E’).”
Great you quote Encyclopedia Britanica… might go on with quoting Wikipedia as well. Also, great taking a snippet of time and looking at the whole situation from that standpoint…
You might also wish to know that at that particular year British were very concerned with Russia expanding to Balkan peninsula through help of their eternal ally Serbia. Also, you might consider that Bulgaria was moving to to the opposite side through their German king and westernised elite.
Also, you might look at the state of afairs before the Ottoman conquest in 14th and 15th century. There, you may notice that this area was in fact Serbia central, together with territories of Kosovo and Metohia and central Serbia. I do not know how the English arrived at having Bulgarian population there…
If you want to go further back, say to 10th and 11th century, you may find that the Bulgars were in fact a Mongol tribe riding down from the north to conquer great part of eastern Balkan peninsula. They found there a generic “Slavic” popuation, in fact Serbs, whom they absorbed. In fact, today Bulgars have very little in common with their Mongolic originators except the name. They are now ethnically Slavs, speak with corrupted Serbian language and the customs are largely local as well.
Finally, you might investigate how many offensive wars has Serbia fought historically against neighbors, and how many were fought against Serbia… I will help you… 1 – incidentally against Bulgaria, very missguidedly, in order to stop reunification of kingdom of Bulgaria and East Rumelia. Serbian soldiers were unwilling to fight, so it ended after one battle.
So, please do a bit more reading before handing your views based on what the English say…
Let me get this straight. You’re justifying ethnic atrocities against Bulgarians (that’s the adjective in proper english, not Bulgar) in Macedonia because of your OPINION that the ethnic population of Macedonia 500 earlier in the 10th and 11th centuries was serbian? Based on your logic, if we go back another 500 years, there would be no serbs in Macedonia or Serbia proper, because the only country/state in existence at that time was ….. gasp Bulgaria! Yes, Bulgaria is the oldest state in Europe that hasn’t changed its name since being founded. If you represent the serbian thought (and reasoning) process, then I truly hope that Sofia isn’t backing the serb effort to join the EU.
Macedonia prior to the 21st century was always a part of the Ottoman Empire and was inhabited by ethnic Bulgarians up to the 1940s. After each of the Balkan wars, Bulgaria was forced to either cede territory, and/or pay territorial reparations and the victors (Serbia and Greece) always took the opportunity to ethnically cleanse Macedonia. Those are the historic facts. Here’s a map commissioned by the Serbian government at the turn of the century, which shows the country boundaries in the Balkans. Note that Macedonia is NOT in Serbia, or Greece. Also note that Macedonia was not an independent country: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serbianisation#/media/File:Davidovic_map_1846.jpg
The “facts” that you present are opinions and half-baked truths (unnecessary personal attack removed, mod). What history shows, is that when the Bulgarian army entered Skopje in 1941, the “Macedonian” population took to the streets and greeted them as liberators. Liberators from whom? Another historical fact, the first nation in modern recorded history to commit atrocities against an indigenous population in the Balkans was not the turks, or the bulgarians, or the greeks, but the serbs during the period immediately during and after the Balkan Wars. This was noted in the “Report of the International Commission on the Balkan Wars” that was commissioned by the Carnegie Endowment. I’m sure you’ll say that this source is also biased. (cynicism removed, mod). Lastly, another well-known fact is that despite all of the serb ethnic cleansing over the past 100 years, the Macedonian language today is at least 90% similar to Bulgarian.
First, very good to discover that I am not a native English speaker…
Also, according to you, it seems that we Serbs are the worst, the most genocidal nation ever to have walked the Earth… and CNN clip plays… We in fact are so bad that we have genocided ourselves under the Turks by inventing the blood tax and gave the children to be Yanisaries. After that we regularly commited suicides every time Otoman army came through. In WW1 we genocided ourselves as Austrians and Bulgarians were coming to occupy land. Then in WW2 we preemptively killed hundreds of thousands of ourselves not to have Croats dirty their hands. Same for Albanians… Our genocidal actions continue even now. I, for example, ethnically clensed myself together with my family and cousins, as well as another 50000 others, from Sarajevo where we were born, to make space for Saudi project of building a new Takfiristan.
As for the oldest country in Europe, I thought that Macedonia had that title. If you ask around in Skopje, they will not say they are Bulgarians or Serbs for sure. They are all direct descendants from Alexander the Great.
When I was in Turkey, I found out that Turks were in fact all continuators of Mongol empire of Gengis Khan, and lay claim to all the lands from Vienna to Japan. So, Bulgarians being the Mongol cousins of Turks, I guess that this claim can be extended to them as well…
So, all in all, we aren’t going to agree on anything, but please do drop the Anglo story of genocidal people. It is stupid at the least. And do come and meet the people in person before judging them.
“Also, according to you, it seems that we, Serbs are the worst, the most genocidal nation ever to have walked the Earth”
You’re using hyperbole to obfuscate my statement of historical fact. You’re not the worst, just the first in the 21st century. That’s a fact.
“We in fact are so bad that we have genocided ourselves under the Turks by inventing the blood tax and gave the children to be Yanisaries. After that we regularly commited suicides every time Otoman army came through.”
You were no different than all the other christians under turk occupation, who also paid the blood tax. Cry me a river.
“In WW1 we genocided ourselves as Austrians and Bulgarians were coming to occupy land.”
Jaded opinion. In WW1 Bulgarians came to Macedonia to recover land that was taken by the serbs during the Balkan wars. Look at that serbian map that I previously posted. That land was never serb prior to the Balkan wars. That serbian map shows that the serbs were the occupiers. In the interim period after the Balkan Wars and WWI, serbia genocided, serbianized, or forcefully evicted from Macedonia hundreds of thousands of ethnic Bulgarians who had lived there for centuries.
“Then in WW2 we preemptively killed hundreds of thousands of ourselves not to have Croats dirty their hands.”
You’re erecting a strawman’s argument which has nothing to do with what was said above, or the article. Serbs almost certainly did fight and kill their own countrymen in WW2, much like other countries that had partisan movements. Of note however, is that in 1943, the partisans led by the soviet citizen and british agent Josip Tito, fought and killed chetniks and thus prevented the liberation of Sarajevo from the 92nd German army. So yes, your countrymen did kill plenty of their own people.
“Our genocidal actions continue even now. I, for example, ethnically clensed myself together with my family and cousins, as well as another 50000 others, from Sarajevo where we were born, to make space for Saudi project of building a new Takfiristan.”
Cry me a river. You ethnically cleansed the wrong people and now you reap what you sow.
“As for the oldest country in Europe, I thought that Macedonia had that title. If you ask around in Skopje, they will not say they are Bulgarians or Serbs for sure. They are all direct descendants from Alexander the Great.”
According to the serbian map commissioned by the serbian government that I previously posted, there was no country of Macedonia at the turn of the century.
“When I was in Turkey, I found out that Turks were in fact all continuators of Mongol empire of Gengis Khan, and lay claim to all the lands from Vienna to Japan. So, Bulgarians being the Mongol cousins of Turks, I guess that this claim can be extended to them as well.”
I’m not quire sure what you have against Mongolians, or what has the genetic makeup of a population got anything to do with the article that you’re commenting on. The hordes of Genghis Khan got as far as the British Isles. Everyone in Europe has mongol blood and you’re no more or less mongol than I. What exactly is your point?
Historical fact, no… just your opinion. 21st century must refer to the Serbian destruction of Iraq in 2003 (21st century being 2000-2100). Or you meant 20th century? Which would have us more genocidal than Turks in Armenia, Germans, Japanese, Croats and Ukies in WW2, as well as British, US, French, Dutch in colonies and so on…
All the other stuff about we deserved to get killed makes you unworthy of having an argument with. Keep on living in your CNN reality.
And, yes, Bulgaria is again on the wrong side of history. The imperial stooge of NATO and EuroUniats.
Bulgaria has existed for 681 years, Belgrade (Bolgrad) was a Bulgarian city, I don’t know what Mongols you are talking about, !?
About German losses in Bulgaria. The author says “In the battles against the Bulgarians, the Nazis lost 69 thousand people killed and captured, 21 aircraft, 75 tanks and self-propelled guns, 937 guns and mortars, 4 thousand cars, 71 steam locomotives, 5,769 wagons.”
Knowing how strong the German army was and how poorly armed were people’s armies in the Balkans I doubt these numbers. It is possible that Germans, before withdrawing in September of 1944, left behind some armament and equipment, and that some armament belonged to the fascists Bulgarian troops. As for the human losses, during the WWII it was hard to kill or capture German solders so the number of ’69 thousand Nazis killed or captured’ should be verified. German sources (e.g. Rüdiger Overmans, Soldaten hinter Stacheldraht. Deutsche Kriegsgefangene des Zweiten Weltkrieges) state that 200,000 German solders were POW in Yugoslavia, 25,000 in Czechoslovakia, 7,000 in Nederland, Bulgaria was not even mentioned.
You should search for atrocities, not POW. Bulgarians are historically known not to take POWs.
if you want to save the Balkans save Macedonia
Dear friends
thanks for your interest in Macedonia. I can reassure you it enjoys high living standards since liberated from the ottomans, in 1912 by the Greek army.
As a young boy at our Greek school just after WW2 we learned that there is the North of Greece an ethnic Bulgarian population that has been incorporated in the ex Yougoslavia. To our surprise we saw no claim on this from the Bulgaria state since 1991 something that would have been legitimate.
It looks that the Bulgarian politics of ‘pirouette dancing ‘in the last 100-150 years have cost them dearly :
Against the ottomans in 1912 , but in reality fighting against their allies Greece and Serbia in the Balkan wars
Axis aligned and nazi sympathisers in WW2, being the Nazi occupying force in North Greece 1941-1944, but not against the Soviets…
And recently in favour and at the same time angainst the Black Sea russian pipelines projects that by pass Turkey and the middle East.
It is a pity to see our Bulgarian neighbors, due to the above to resign from legitimate claims in ex Yougoslavia or for an exit to the Aegean sea.
Bulgaria has caught the Macedonia curse since the Balkan wars. They fought to occupy Macedonia, unsuccessfully. They allied with Austria and Germany in
WWI with the purpose of winning Macedonia, unsuccessfully. They allied with Nazi Germany in yet another attempt to win over Macedonia but they were met with a resistance by Macedonian partisans. During the occupation Bulgaria shipped 9000+ Sephardic Jews from Macedonia to the death camps. Such an obedient pet to the concurrent hegemon. No wonder they switched hats when the Russians were at the border.
Mention Bulgaria and there come the Serb nationalists. Mention Macedonia and there come the Bulgarian nationalists. Two occupiers of the Macedonian people one no better than the other. The Bulgarian narrative goes the inhabitants of Macedonia were Bulgarian…. just wishful thinking. The only difference between Serb and Bulgarian occupations was that Serbs were busy fighting Croats before and after WW2 otherwise they would have continued with the same brutality in day to day rule just like the Bulgars.
Please just make one comment in future. Thx. Mod.
The article is nothing but a blatant pro-Bulgarian propaganda.
Since picture is worth 1000words, enjoy the videos
In English
The First Balkan War – Explained in 10 minutes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LvLr1UjCVw
The Second Balkan War – Explained in 10 minutes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3n0cQXNEEw
Why did Bulgaria join the axis? (Short Animated Documentary)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwEcK5FVm64
In Bulgarian
Skopje, 1942 Celebration of one year under Bulgarian administration.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbSWoM5CCdw
Бугарскиот окупатор во Македониjа
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RQQSGeDTfE
The below are in Greek, documented.
Bulgar Atrocities in Greece 1916-1918
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fA-MfVwxWMY&list=PL7sFZ0-6PCsIEMY-JTS_hEpC_WhH7hPz9&index=11
Bulgar occupation of northern Greece 1941-1944
The pictures are of “imported” Bulgars celebrating in Northern Greece.
Η ΤΡΙΤΗ ΒΟΥΛΓΑΡΙΚΗ ΚΑΤΟΧΗ ΤΗΣ ΑΝΑΤΟΛΙΚΗΣ ΜΑΚΕΔΟΝΙΑΣ 1941 -1944
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqrxTqAHLjY
τριτη βουλγαρικη κατοχη σε ανατολικη μακεδονια – θρακη
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KtniiXOx90
Bulgarian and Roumanian and Islamo-Albanian War crimes against Greece during WWII
Τα εγκλήματα Βουλγάρων, Τσάμηδων και Ρουμάνων στην Ελλάδα κατά τη Γερμανική κατοχή (1941-1944)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDf8rNZEVps
Rare footage “Axis of evil starving Greeks”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfxbXvvkXoA
If one steps back a little and looks at the Balkan mindset, as displayed through the nationalist lens of either Greek, Bulgarian, Serbian or any other propaganda, one can only conclude that these people ( nationalists ) are living in some kind of vacuum. Their insistence on their way being the only way, show that they’re simply the effect of someone’s postulates and have allowed their inner being to become enslaved. More’s the pity cause they cannot see it.
Hmm. Interesting, my comment although polite was rejected.
I am changing the subject. FYROM’s attempts were just rejected at UN, even by Russia. Ansd nobody wants you in NATO either.
We the nationalists will prevail.
I would like to add things, but I think Cafe may be a better place to educate some people.
That pretentious Greek fu**ery, high-brow “let me tell you something from an enlightened perspective” is equal to shit. There were barely any Greeks living north of Olympus but thanks to a population exchange with your then pals the Turks suddenly half a million Orthodox whatevers move into Macedonia and some decades later start calling it Greek. Those Macedonians who got napalmed out of their villages after WW2 by Greek troops with the help of the English and the Americans will tell you that the Greek spoken by the newcomers and the Greek spoken by the natives were two very different languages. Modern Greek had to be standardized so that people can understand each other. Prior that, Greek speakers spoke a creole between Macedonian, Albanian, Vlach and Greek. Oh and at that time Bulgarians were north of the Rhodopes mountains and Sofia was but a village, because the southern half of Bulgaria was populated by Turks.
Rampo, while you live up to your name: Vulgar (From Greek Βούλγαρ, which is pronounced Vulgar)
check this dictionary, what it means.
https://www.thefreedictionary.com/vulgar
On the other hand, Vasilis Karras in Sofia in 2019 (Sofia is an old Greek City which ever way you look at it). What do I hear his audience sings in Greek? My God!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItY4B35q4fw
Look at Plovdiv’s real name Philipoupoli (the City of Philip):
Η Φιλιππούπολη (βουλγαρικά: Пловдив προφέρεται: [pɫovˈdif]), γνωστή και ως Πλόβντιβ ή Πλόβντιφ,
Regards
The name of Plovdiv comes from the very very ancient name of the city – Pulpudeva. When Philip Makedon took it it was renamed Philipopolus for a relatively brief time, then Romans called it Trimontium for a long time, then Turks called it Philipopoupoli (Greeks had quite an influence in Otoman Empire), and finally the city came back to its original name Pulpudeva in modern pronunciation -Plovdiv.
Greece was established in the early 19th century. So today’s Greeks appropriated the history of the Eastern Roman Empire, which is composed of many peoples!
Whilst I agree that Bulgaria and Russia have a lot in common, let us not forget the simple fact that Bulgaria allied itself to Nazi Germany. This defacto made Bulgaria an enemy of the Soviet Union. So any whining about Bulgaria being attacked by Russia is just that. Whining.
I lived in Varna for many years and can say that in my experience, Bulgarians go which way the wind blows. When the red army arrived on their doorstep, of course they changed sides. It is called self preservation. Germany was already well on the way to being defeated.
I still travel to Varna a lot and know of many Russians who are actively discriminated against. So all is not well from the Bulgarian side either. I hope common sense prevails in the future, but Bulgaria’s prosperity lies toward Russia. Not as the “Mutra” Boyko Borrisov believes. His handling of the south stream project still shows that politically Bulgaria is a puppet of the US.
So, you are ready to forgive those who devastated your country, but not those who allied themselves in words only to your enemies and did not send a single soldier to your country. BTW, Soviet embassy in Bulgaria functioned throughout the war and diplomatic relationships did not broke, did you know that?
Bulgaria’s prosperity lies toward Bulgaria, Russia’ s prosperity toward Russia and my country’s prosperiy toward my country.
Greetings to all,
My first post…
Have to comment. This article is, I would say, a typical bulgarian or even could be said, balkan way of justifying itself and its own choices and refusing to take responsibility for its mistakes…
As a Serb myself I could notice very similar note in our own modus operandi.. although we are more “in your face” people and we suffered greatly for that, we still have that trait of feeling inocent and always right…
I wish we could overcome this and our ugly history and become a good neigbhours. Our nations are dying out, literaly. No time for crap from past, we need to cooperate, more than ever.
Last year I went to holiday to Black See to Golden Sands in Bulgaria. It was a great experience. I felt like I was home, I spoke serbian and locals spoke bulgarian and we understood each other… Overall, I think there are much more things conecting us than there are differences…
Greetings to all good people.
Mates,
I guess none of us participated in WW2. I am Bulgarian and spent quite a few yers in western europe and my best friends at that time were from Greece, Romania, Serbia, Macedonia, Armenia, Russia. We are virtually a ‘variety’ of the same people and it is a nonsense to discuss who was right back then. The west is using our minor differences to ‘divide and conquer’ the Balkans at an enourmus cost of life and (missed!) prosperity.
So leave the BS behind and live together. Noone needs to change borders anymore in the balkans – it makes no sense, it simply doesn’t pay out to try
And, indeed the author is completely right: the Bulgarians see the Russins as their brothers. Even the politicians were manipulated or even openly installed by the west to oppose Russia, there was never a true hostility between our people and I really hope it stays like this. Some mention the south stream pipeline which Bulgaria sabotaged: it was a continuous blackmail from USA and EU to block the pipeline. Remeber that bulgaria, as a small country with open economy, is indeed very voulnerable so it bowed to the pressure. Look at north stream 2. The economic pressure from the US is enormous.
What about the treatment of Jews in Bulgaria before and during WW2? (Bothe natives of Bulgaria and refugees from elsewhere.)
I have heard and read both claims that many suffered ore were deported to die at German camps in East Europe (even to Poland) — and I have heard and read opposite statements saying the governemant of Bulgaria saved a lot of people and rejected German, Hungian and Rumanian claims that the Kingdom of Bulgaria should persecute Jews living there.
Which version is closer to the truth?
A few observations concerning Bulgaria:
1: Russian tourists asked the locals how come jam tasted so good. Answer: We follow the Soviet recepies– don’t you?
2: Unlike in Poland, the Farmers’ party was no rabid anti-communist nor rabidly Papalists.
3: In “The valley of Roses” they produced excellent rose jam.
4a: Hitch-hiking from Asia in the mid-seventies, I noticed in Edìrne how the border between Bulgaria and Turkey seemed quite open, whilst barbed-wire fences and opposing battle tank groups faced each other there in Thrace between Turkey and Greece.
4b: I came from Asia carrying only Iranian Reals, believing them to be convertible in Europe. Got turned back at the border to Yugoslavia for not having convertible moneys to get me through Yougoslavia nor West Europe. The boarder guards of Bulgaria let me stay overnight in their shed, and in the morning the next day managed to exchange my rials for dollars end euros at the going rate with long-haule trailer drivers headed for Iran.
What a pleasant land for a young traveller (other details auto-sensored!).
Hi,
First of all let me blow up in smoke some illusions of both Bulgar and Russian self image.
Russian and Bulgar “friendship” begins since the Russians (for their own interest, and with the help of their agents in Serbia like the one Vuk Karadzic (the amount of the yearly support is not a secret, it’s just omitted)) made San Stefano Bulgaria at the expense of the Serbs.
In support of this fact, a question to the translator: Do you know what river Isker represents? Do you know when modern Serbia begins(In regards to Romeian(Eastern Roman Empire(In fake History known as Bysantin Empire))? How many Serbian King lineages are there before Nemanjic’s?
Now, a commentary about the text of the author.
First, let’s clear some illusions from his Soviet historical upbringing, since he is represented as historian as well.
Even before Soviet army came to “Liberate”(there is not enough of emphasizing of the quotations of this term) Belgrade we now know (from lifting the “veil” of the archives of Nazi Bundeswehr here: https://www.bundesarchiv.de/EN/Navigation/Use/Using-specific-types/Military-Records/military-records-en.html)
that the German Army had a planned retreat map from Balkans. So, your fourth myth is just a myth, why?
When you say:
“Already on September 28, 1944, a month before the signing of the armistice between Bulgaria and the USSR, the Bulgarian People’s Army went into battle against the Nazis, attacking them in the Yugoslav cities of Leskovac and Nis. On October 8-14, 1944, the Bulgarians, together with the Yugoslav People’s Liberation Army and the Red Army, defeated the 7th SS Mountain Division “Prince Eugen” near the city of Nis. On October 15, 1944, the Bulgarian army defeated the 22nd Wehrmacht Infantry Division in Macedonia, liberating the cities of Veles and Skopje. From October 22 to November 21, 1944, with the assistance of the Yugoslavs, the Bulgarians liberated the area of Kosovo Pole, the cities of Pristina, Kosovsk-Mitrovica. ”
1.Who do you refer to by “Yugoslavs”? Is it the “Chetnik’s” or Tito’s Partisan’s? therefore,
2. When Bulgars occupied eastern and southern Serbia(today’s North Macedonia) who did the they fought against is it the Partisan’s or the Chetnik’s?
3. If you cross-reference the dates of the planned withdrawals of the Bundeswehr with the “Liberation” of the cities by Bulgars and so called Yugoslav People’s Liberation Army, the only logical conclusion would be that there was no liberation at all, just a transfer of one conqueror with another(the red plague).
“At the slightest sign of deterioriation..” Well, you must be joking :)
The Russian role in liberating Bulgaria from the Ottomans is undeniable. The Bulgarian coat-turning at the sign slightest opportunity is undeniable as well. Only decades after the liberation, who was Bulgaria with in the WWI? With the Central Powers. Who was it with in the WWII? With the Axis. Who was the would be ’17th Soviet Republic’ after the breakdown of USSR? In the NATO. Who sabotaged the vital pipeline projects of the modern Russian state twice? (Probably going to do it once more). Guess, it was Bulgaria. And always talking in warmest terms about Russia, after the Russians have won.
I do not know what it says about the Bulgarians as a people, but the Bulgarian foreign politics must be most treacherous one you can find anywhere. It always joins the villain side if it looks overwhelming enough to Bulgarians, and then, in a turn of a hand, when the villains finally lose, they are so happy to be back with Russia again, withe their undying love for it.
So, please, if you are trying to make us laugh, please do continue posting the articles just like this one :)
From a post by John , you can read it in full in the thread:
“How be it even Lenin himself disliked the typical Russian because they are gods of bullying and that pushed him to great resolve in creating the USSR….
Look at the state of relations in the Balkans today;Now it’s Ukraine, yesterday Georgia,the day before Poland, tomorrow Belarus.Russia is always disturbing the peace of the Balkans and everyone knows this.
…
Russians are murderers by nature and there’s to be apologies about it because that is how they’re….Even though (Stalin)he had negativity tendencies somewhat that he employed in getting the job done, murder was not one of them.He learned murder from Russians.”
John, obviously obsessed with the fear and hate of anything Russian fails to see that Lenin pushed his disastrous civil war in Russia pursuing a western concocted ideology with a lavish financial help from the west. He fails to see the similar help and guidance of the Ukrainian Nazis and Georgian and Polish nationalists, naturally.
Now, letting aside the question why has such hate speech been allowed here, this kind ow writing does point out a deep misunderstanding between the western and Russian mentality. The both are grounded on different basic fears. In the western case, the strongest fears are xenophobia and the materialist fears of poverty and hunger. In the Russian case, the basic fear is the fear of ostracism, of being excluded from the society. It is obvious that the western fears tend to destroy the foreigners, and Russian ones the Russians in the first line.
So the Russians are always surprised that the west hates them. And the west thinks, they would certainly do to us what we have in mind for them.
John’s post is a nice example of that. As the examples are numerous enough, you could have spared us his one, as well.
John’s post was initially sent to Saker for review … he decided to allow it on the blog … mod
Well, the freedom of the opinion approach, who can criticize that. But a short time ago I wrote a post describing my doubts about some statements in an article of Saker’s regarding the existence of the gas chambers in the German concentration camps. I may have been right or wrong in believing they existed, but I wrote it bona fides.
My post did not appear, though.
Myth 4th! How Bulgarian army liberated Yugoslavia? You were Ocupator of South-east part of Yugoslavia (Serbia) in the WWII…
I understand the author focuses on Bulgarian-Soviet relations during WW@, but somehow fails to mention that Bulgaria occupied big part of Northern Greece during WW2 and commited terrible atrocities against the Greeks.
All this happened because Bulgaria allied with Italy and Germany.
Greece was occupied by 3 foreign countries and the bulgarian atrocities in the bulgarian occupation zone have nothing to envy from the german ones in the german occupation zone.
Now, about resisnance movement: no disrespect for the fallen bulgarians that fought the germans, but it simply can’t compare againsts greek,serbian resistance in therms of effectiveness, pain and bloodshed due to mass reprisals and population support.
Bulgarian resistance movement grew towards the end of the war when the game was obviously lost, while greek and serbian started immediately after the defeat of Greece and Serbia respectively.
No disrespect for Bulgaria at all but it’s good to be historically accurate.
Bulgarian stance has always been opportunistic during the last 120years:pro german but when the crap hits the fan,we switch to fighting them.
In the entrance hall of International Red Cross headquarters in Geneva there was a plate with the inscription: “Be humane like Serbia was”. Interesting story begins in the last decades of 19th century. After the Berlin Congress, Bulgaria started to directly breach The Treaty and Serbian King Milan was forced to declare war with Bulgaria in 1885. At that time Serbia had state hospitals and Red Cross office, while Bulgaria did not have military hospitals. For that reason there was nobody to move Bulgarian wounded soldiers from the battlefield and to provide hospital care. International Red Cross acquired help from different European states for the wounded Bulgarian soldiers. Ironically, the only way to deliver help was through Serbian territory. And than, Serbian Army did something that never happened again in the military history. It stopped military activities for 24 hours, so that help from Red Cross for Bulgarian soldiers could pass through Serbia. Furthermore, Serbia added drugs, blankets and bads from it’s reserves, including other necessary items for proper military hospital for Bulgarian soldiers. For that reason plate with the above inscription stood for decades in Red Cross Headquarters in Geneva. Why and when the plate was removed is not known.
But what Serbs did was wrong. Bulgarians did heinous crimes in both WW1 and WW2 against Serbian CIVILIANS.
United we stand, disunited, we fall. Compare Scandinavia and The Balkans. Scandinavians used to tirelessly conquer each other and make mini-empires for about 3 centuries, Until the 19th century, when they found themselves in the backyard of human progress and a toy for great and mediocre powers. Then they decided to stop squabbling about land and develop what they had. And NEVER SIDE WITH OUTSIDERS AGAINST ONE ANOTHER. In about 5 decades they caught up – advanced, socially united, respected. There is a Nobel Prize, not an international Tesla Prize (Though I’d prefer a Botev Prize, as a Bulgarian). But the Balkans have learned almost nothing. Our only claim to world glory thus far would be The Balkanization Token – a geopolitical analogue of the Darwin Award. (And sorry, if united, we would balance mostly in favor of Russia. Where we live, we all have the Neo-Ottomans and the arrogant Americans to reckon with).