ПРОГРАМИ
en de ru fr es sr gr al tr ro
Podcast in English
Share
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Bulgaria can claim ownership of Russian church in Sofia through the courts, acting Prosecutor General says

Photo: БГНЕС

Acting Prosecutor-General Borislav Sarafov has suggested to Regional Development Minister Andrey Tsekov that he file a lawsuit over the ownership of the Church of St Nicholas the Wonderworker in Sofia, widely known as the Russian Church, in order to have it recognised as the property of the Bulgarian state. 
A deed dated 23.07.1997 declared the Orthodox temple and the land on which it was built to be the property of the Russian Embassy. This deed was issued at the request of the Russian Ambassador on the basis of a deed of donation dated 7 November 1898 for "a vacant urban plot in the city of St. Nicholas" by the Sofia City Council. Sofia" by the Sofia Municipality to the Russian Imperial Diplomatic Agency in Bulgaria. However, an investigation by the Public Prosecutor's Office has uncovered facts that can be used to refute this ownership. These include bilateral documents from 1940 between Bulgaria and the USSR on the free use of the church building by the Bulgarian state.

The Russian church in Sofia came into the public spotlight after three priests from the temple were expelled from Bulgaria in September, accused of spying for Moscow.

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.
Radio Bulgaria News    Acting Prosecutor-General Borislav Sarafov Andrey Tsekov lawsuit ownership Russian Church

More from category

EU enlargement a natural priority for Sofia – Bulgarian FM says in New York

Bulgarian Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev told a B4 meeting that EU enlargement is a natural priority for Sofia. Speaking on the sidelines of the 80th UN General Assembly, Georgiev joined counterparts from Greece, Romania and Croatia to discuss..

published on 9/24/25 5:49 PM
Iliana Iotova

Vice President: Christian faith and literacy have preserved our people for 12 centuries

Thanks to Christianisation, script, and language, the Bulgarian people and Bulgaria remained in the memory of Europe even when the Bulgarian state disappeared for centuries from the political map of the Old Continent. Christianity and..

published on 9/24/25 2:30 PM

Bulgaria and the University of North Dakota to explore for rare earth metals in this country

The Bulgarian Energy Holding, together with the University of North Dakota, USA, will conduct research on rare earth metals in Bulgaria. This is stipulated in the Memorandum of Understanding signed between them within the framework of..

published on 9/24/25 2:10 PM

WEATHER
Pick city: Sofía
Overcast, rain
Min: 11 | Max: 18
Cloudy
Min: 13 | Max: 19
Cloudy
Min: 12 | Max: 19
Overcast, rain
Min: 8 | Max: 17
Overcast, rain
Min: 10 | Max: 14
Cloudy
Min: 11 | Max: 20
Cloudy
Min: 10 | Max: 17
Cloudy
Min: 4 | Max: 18
Cloudy
Min: 10 | Max: 20
Overcast, rain
Min: 11 | Max: 16
Partly cloudy, chance of rain
Min: 10 | Max: 19
Overcast, rain
Min: 9 | Max: 15
Cloudy
Min: 11 | Max: 18
Overcast, rain
Min: 9 | Max: 14
Partly cloudy, chance of rain
Min: 11 | Max: 19
Cloudy
Min: 11 | Max: 19
Cloudy
Min: 8 | Max: 18
Cloudy
Min: 11 | Max: 21
Cloudy
Min: 8 | Max: 19
Cloudy
Min: 11 | Max: 20
Cloudy
Min: 6 | Max: 15
Overcast, rain
Min: 10 | Max: 15
Cloudy
Min: 11 | Max: 20
Cloudy
Min: 8 | Max: 18
Cloudy
Min: 9 | Max: 20
Cloudy
Min: 8 | Max: 19
Cloudy
Min: 9 | Max: 20
BULGARIA IN PICTURES
Which world-famous Bulgarian artist designed QSL cards for Radio Bulgaria?
Yasen Gyuzelev
Theodore Ushev
Christo Javacheff - Christo
Ilia Peikov
Lika Yanko

BULGARIANS ABROAD

Български English Русский Deutsch Српски Français Ελληνικά Español Shqip Türkçe Română
MOST VIEWED

Bulgarian industry is vulnerable to climate dumping

In economic terms, Bulgaria is highly dependent on carbon-intensive production and is particularly vulnerable to the risk of these productions being..

published on 9/26/25 6:01 PM

Drop in temperatures, cloudy skies, rain expected in Bulgaria over the weekend

On Saturday, the minimum temperatures in Bulgaria will be from 8 to 13C, in Sofia – 10C. During the day, cloudy weather will prevail. Rain is expected..

published on 9/26/25 7:25 PM

Just 10% of children deprived of parental care in Bulgaria can be adopted

Currently, out of nearly 8,000 children deprived of parental care, just 850 have permission for full adoption. This was announced by Deputy Minister of..

published on 9/26/25 5:35 PM

english@bnr.bg

+359 2 9336 661

Общи условия за използване на сайта | Политика за поверителност | Политика за "бисквитки"