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

80 years since the communist coup in Bulgaria

Photo: historymuseum.org

It is 80 years, on 9 September, since the communist coup d'état which put an end to the Kingdom of Bulgaria.

On 9 September, 1944, as World War II was still raging, officers who had passed over to the so-called Fatherland Front seized the Ministry of War, the Central Post Office, the Central Railway Station and other key sites in Sofia. The cabinet ministers from the government of Konstantin Muraviev were arrested and Kimon Georgiev, who took the helm of the new government, declared, over the radio, the new government of the national committee of the Fatherland Front. Bulgaria, which had been an ally of Nazi Germany, had by that time severed relations with the Third Reich. Nevertheless, on the night of 9 September, 1944, the government was overthrown, and Bulgaria was occupied by the Soviet Union’s red army. Bulgaria fell within the Soviet sphere of influence, and a wave of brutal violence and repressions ensued, with the so-called People’s Court later sentencing thousands to death, thus effectively beheading the country’s political, state, military and intellectual elite.



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

President Radev expects the court to rule on his appeal regarding the changes to the Constitution

President Rumen Radev expects the Constitutional Court to rule more quickly on his appeal regarding the changes to the Constitution. The head of state made this statement in front of students at the University of National and World Economy, where he..

published on 12/4/24 7:20 PM

Cloudy skies and snowfall in the mountains

On Thursday temperatures will range from 1 to 5°C, with a low of 2°C in Sofia. In the morning, visibility may be reduced. The day will be cloudy. There will be light rain first in the east and later in the day in the west. Highs will be between 5°C and..

published on 12/4/24 7:05 PM
Irina Nedeva

Bulgarian National Radio journalist Irina Nedeva awarded the French National Order of Merit

Bulgarian journalist and Vice-President of the Association of European Journalists (AEJ) Irina Nedeva has been awarded the National Order of Merit, Chevalier, by decree of the President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron . This was announced by..

published on 12/4/24 6:46 PM