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

Sofia Christmas festival will kick off tonight in front of National Palace of Culture

The Sofia Christmas Festival will open tonight in the park in front of the National Palace of Culture in the heart of Sofia . The third edition of the festival starts at 6.30 pm with a rich program and attractions - а Ferris wheel, a carousel and..

published on 11/22/24 4:24 PM

MPs fail to elect a Speaker of Parliament at fifth attempt

Yet another, already fifth attempt by MPs to elect a Parliamentary Speaker has failed. Four candidates were put to the vote - Natalia Kiselova from BSP-Unified Left, Petar Petrov from Vazrazhdane, Raya Nazaryan from GERB and Silvi Kirilov from ITN...

published on 11/22/24 3:40 PM

Heavy traffic of truck near Danube Bridge at the border with Romania

The traffic of trucks in the area of the Danube Bridge at the border with Romania is heavy.  This situation is expected to continue over the weekend as the trucks that were waiting at the Kapitan Andreevo crossing at the Bulgarian-Turkish border for..

published on 11/22/24 3:36 PM