Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

The fate of the Russian Church in Sofia will be decided by the Russian Orthodox Church 

Руската църква
Photo: Ани Петрова

Citizens gathered in front of the Church of St. Nicholas the Miracle-Maker, widely known as the Russian Church, in Sofia to express their dissatisfaction with its closing. 

"The Russian temple, which for many years was a place of common prayer for Russians and Bulgarians, will now be closed," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said after the Bulgarian authorities decided to expel the church's head and two Belarusian priests. This was done on the grounds that the clerics posed a threat to national security. 

Meanwhile, the Minister of Military Affairs, Todor Tagarev, said that the services had compelling information that the three were serving Moscow's geopolitical interests. "There is a SANS report that shows that they are carrying out actions that are not consistent with their status in Bulgaria," Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov said. 

"The Church of St. Nicholas the Miracle-Maker will at this stage cease its activities, its further fate will be decided by the Russian Orthodox Church," reads a message on the Facebook page of the Russian Embassy in the country.

Russian Ambassador to Bulgaria Eleonora Mitrofanova told Russia-24 online live TV channel that the Bulgarian Ambassador to Russia Atanas Kristin will be summoned at the Russian Foreign Ministry over the expulsion of the three priests. "I think that no one will take mirror actions with regard to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church in Moscow. We are not barbarians," Mitrofanova said.


Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Coldеr weather with rain and snow

During the night it will be cloudy with rainfalls in the western and central regions of Bulgaria, as snowfalls are possible in the high western areas. There will be almost no precipitation in the easternmost regions. The morning..

published on 11/29/24 6:55 PM

The average gross annual salary in Bulgaria in 2023 is EUR 12,519

The average gross annual salary in Bulgaria in 2023 is 24,485 BGN (EUR 12,519) which is an increase of 15.3% compared to 2022, according to data from the National Statistical Institute. The highest wages are earned by those working in "Creation and..

published on 11/29/24 5:52 PM
Kiril Petkov

PP-DB will vote for Speaker of the Parliament after a signature under their declaration

PP-DB will not support a candidate for Speaker of the 51st Parliament from any party that has not supported the coalition's declaration for a cordon sanitaire against Delyan Peevski. They pointed out that this was the only way to..

published on 11/29/24 4:22 PM