Last weekend, celebrations dedicated to the 140th anniversary of the end of the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878 took place in Bulgaria.

This date, historical in every sense for Bulgarians, was celebrated in the country at the highest state level: the country's President Rumen Radev, as well as diplomats and politicians from a number of countries took part in the festive events.

Probably, the presence of many high-ranking foreign guests can explain the excessive political correctness inherent in the official part of the celebrations: in his speech during the evening roll call, the head of state avoided unnecessary words, one way or another connected with Russia, separately expressing gratitude to all the peoples who fought for the liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman yoke. Although a few hours earlier, during commemorative events on Shipka, where Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' performed a festive service together with Patriarch Neophyte of Bulgaria, Rumen Radev noted quite clearly:

“We gathered at the top to bow to the heroes of Bulgarian freedom and honor our common past. There are many bones lying in the ground under the snow here. After 140 years, it is difficult to say which of them are Bulgarian and which are Russian, but it was from these bones, from Russian and Bulgarian military glory, that the frame of our Bulgarian freedom was built.”

To understand what role the Russian army played in the liberation of Bulgaria from the five-century Ottoman yoke, you do not need to study monographs and history textbooks. Almost every second street in the center of Sofia bears the names of Russian generals and rulers, and on the main square of the capital there is a monument to Emperor Alexander II. On the pedestal of the monument it is written in gold letters: “Bulgaria is grateful to the Tsar the Liberator.”

Directly opposite this monument, an evening roll call took place - a ceremonial formation of troops, during which the president of the country was informed: “All combat personnel are in place, with the exception of those who fell on the battlefield.” Tens of thousands of Russian soldiers died on the battlefields of that war. They fought shoulder to shoulder with the Bulgarian militias. But still, it was the Russian army that constituted the main striking force that put the Turks to flight. In March 1878, Russian troops imperial army stood on the very threshold of Constantinople. Not far from the city, in the town of San Stefano, a peace treaty was signed, ending the war and returning Bulgaria to the map of Europe after centuries of oblivion.

“In addition to the creation of independent principalities - Romania, Serbia and Montenegro - and significant territorial additions to them, the creation of Greater Bulgaria with access to the Black and Aegean Seas was envisaged. The prospect of renewed hostilities forced the Turks to come to terms, they accepted the vast majority of the terms of the treaty. February 19 (March 3 - new style) by representatives of Russia and Ottoman Empire The San Stefano Preliminary Peace Treaty was signed."

The director of the Institute noted Russian history RAS academician Yuri Petrov during scientific conference, dedicated to the history of the Russian-Turkish War.

The terms of this agreement, so beneficial both for Bulgaria itself and for Russia, predictably did not suit Western European countries, primarily Great Britain and Austria, which feared the strengthening of Russian Empire in the region and forced the parties to reconsider the agreement. Ultimately, as a result of the war, another document was signed - the Berlin Treaty, which divided Bulgaria into three parts, which in fact still depended on Turkey.

“Thanks to the military efforts of the Russian Empire, Bulgaria became a free power. I want to emphasize that this act of freedom cost the lives of more than 30 thousand Russian soldiers and thousands of Bulgarian militias. As a result of the war, the Treaty of San Stefano was signed, which became one ideal agreement that united the Bulgarian lands into one state. But, unfortunately, it was not fully implemented. Although the main thing was done - Bulgaria was liberated 140 years ago. Thanks to Russia and its soldiers, it became a free state,”

Said the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense of Bulgaria Krasimir Karakachanov at the ceremony of handing over copies of the battle flags of the battalions of the Russian Imperial Army that participated in the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878.

These banners solemnly presented to the Bulgarian armed forces delegation of the Russian historical society, who arrived in Sofia for official celebrations dedicated to the 140th anniversary of the liberation of Bulgaria. The ceremony took place within the walls of the Georgiy Rakovsky Military Academy, which, by the way, the current president of the country, Rumen Radev, graduated from.

“One of the banners, copies of which we are handing over, is kept in Crimea in the Museum of Taurida. And it is no coincidence that there are two inscriptions side by side: “For Shipka” and “For Sevastopol,” because this battalion distinguished itself during the Crimean War. The second banner is kept in the Military Historical Museum of Artillery in St. Petersburg. As a sign of the friendship of our peoples, as a sign that we remember what happened 140 years ago on Bulgarian soil, we hand over these banners to the Bulgarian armed forces,”

Said, in turn, the executive director of the History of the Fatherland Foundation.

If you delve a little deeper into history, you can hardly call the relations between our countries cloudless. From a geopolitical point of view, Bulgaria was often on the other side of the barricades. Suffice it to remember that in two world wars she fought on the side of Germany. But here it is appropriate to remember one interesting historical fact: after the attack on the USSR in June 1941, Hitler repeatedly demanded that the Bulgarian Tsar Boris III send troops to Eastern front. However, the tsar shied away from fulfilling this demand, fearing the growth of pro-Russian sentiments, and Bulgaria actually did not participate in the war against Germany Soviet Union. There is an assumption that this position cost Boris III his life.

“Hitler called Boris because he needed transit German army to go north and capture the oil fields. And then go from there to Bessarabia. Despite the fact that Boris was a German prince by blood, he could not do this as the king of Bulgaria and refused. Back then we flew in Messerschmitts, and in the cockpits we had to wear gas masks. And they put poisonous gas in this mask. Some time after this, Boris died,”

The prince told Nikita Dmitrievich Lobanov-Rostovsky, familiar with representatives of the Bulgarian royal dynasty.

However, during a visit to the Vrana Palace - the residence of the Bulgarian kings, the heir to the throne of Boris III, his son Simeon of Saxe-Coburg Gotha, who personally conducted a tour of the chambers, delicately noted that the cause of his father’s death had never been officially established. Among the unique exhibits that Simeon II presented to guests from Russia is a dining room made of Karelian birch, presented to Tsar Boris by Nicholas II, who became his godfather in 1896, when the Saxe-Coburg Gotha family converted to Orthodoxy.

The fact that the further from the official program of celebrations, the more obvious the connection between Russia and Bulgaria, one could judge at the opening of the exhibition at the National Historical Museum of Bulgaria, dedicated to the Russian-Turkish war. On the first day alone, the exhibition was visited by several thousand people. The exhibition presents weapons and uniforms of the Russian army, as well as rare archival documents and photographs.

“We in Russia always carefully preserve the memory of those events. Undoubtedly, in 1877-1878 the Russian Empire pursued its own national interests. But these national interests coincided very closely with the national interests of the Balkan peoples, and above all the Bulgarian people, who were awaiting their liberation from the centuries-old Ottoman yoke. This war was supported not only by Russian government forces. First of all, it was supported by millions of Russian people who participated in the liberation struggle of the Bulgarian people during the uprising, who directly participated in the hostilities, who participated in fundraising by those numerous national committees that supported the fraternal Balkan peoples,”

Addressing museum visitors, the director of the State Historical Museum said Alexey Levykin.

In the Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevsky in Sofia Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Kirill and Patriarch of Bulgaria Neophyte served festive liturgy- as a symbol of the unity of two peoples.

The temple-monument was erected in 1912 in honor of the liberation of Bulgaria and dedicated to the Russian saint - Prince Alexander Nevsky. This is one of the largest Orthodox cathedrals in the Balkans and, perhaps, the main attraction of the Bulgarian capital. But this does not prevent the temple from being in a deplorable state: on the frescoes by Vasnetsov, smudges are visible to the naked eye. The state has been promising to allocate money for restoration for several years now. And this is also a symbol, but of a completely different kind.

Text: Anna Khrustaleva

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140 years ago Bulgaria was freed from the Ottoman yoke

March 3, 2018 marked 140 years since that happy moment when fraternal Bulgaria freed itself from the Ottoman yoke, which tormented its population for 500 years. On that memorable day, the Russian ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Count Nikolai Pavlovich Ignatiev, put his signature on the peace treaty between Russia and Turkey in San Stefano (a suburb of Constantinople, now it bears the Turkish name Yeşilköy).

Bulgaria fell into long-term dependence on the Ottoman Empire in 1396, when the last king of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom (Shishman dynasty), Ivan Sratsimir, died. His heir, Constantine II Asen, who was a vassal of the Turks, undertakes an unsuccessful uprising against them, and after his death, Bulgaria finally falls under Ottoman rule and suffers all the humiliation and oppression, including the “blood tax” imposed by the Ottomans on Orthodox subjects (every tenth the child is given into personal slavery to the winners).

Count Ignatiev did everything in his power, and even more, to liberate Bulgaria from the Turkish yoke. First, he achieved church independence for its Orthodox people, then recognition of independence within the Ottoman Empire, and finally, he developed and signed the San Stefano Peace Treaty. Under this agreement, the country, at the expense of Turkey defeated by Russian troops, received the borders in which it historically existed during its tsarist period.

But this was never fortunate enough to come true; the Western powers intervened (Austria-Hungary and England most of all) and “defended” the Ottomans against the Russians and Bulgarians. Formally, Bulgaria freed itself from the Ottoman yoke in June 1878, already within the framework of another treaty - the Berlin Treaty, with national borders halved. Ignatiev, “sick with Bulgarian fever,” was not allowed to attend the congress in Germany, and the star of his diplomatic career waned. But the love for Bulgaria in the heart of a Russian aristocrat will never disappear. Upon his return, he will create a Slavic charitable society and take care of Bulgarian students in Russia.

It is difficult to imagine a date that could more closely unite the historical memory of the Russian and Bulgarian peoples. “This holiday is one of those historical events,” said Bulgarian Ambassador to Russia Boyko Kotsev, “which closely connected the Bulgarian and Russian peoples. Bulgarian militias and Russians fought shoulder to shoulder in this war. This is the most expensive holiday for every Bulgarian. Then the Bulgarian people survived the struggle for independence at the cost of a difficult national liberation struggle.

There are examples in our history that we can be proud of. The feat of our people is that during all the years when Bulgaria was under the Ottoman yoke, they did not lose their national identity, Orthodox faith and language.” A solemn reception was given at the embassy in Moscow in honor of the anniversary of the liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman yoke.

In Bulgaria, this day is a national holiday and a non-working day. In the capital of the country, Sofia, on March 3, a thanksgiving prayer is served, then wreaths are laid to the immediate leader of the troops, General Joseph Gurko, Tsar Alexander II the Liberator and the memorial - the freedom monument on Shipka, created with donations from the Bulgarian people in 1934.

Bulgaria, History

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After the cancellation of the main article of the Paris Peace on the neutralization of the Black Sea, Russia again gained the opportunity to provide more active support to the peoples of the Balkan Peninsula in the fight against the Ottoman yoke.

In 1875, an uprising broke out in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It soon spread to the territory of Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia.

In the summer of 1876, Serbia and Montenegro declared war on the Sultan. However, the forces were unequal. The Turkish army brutally suppressed the resistance of the Slavs. In Bulgaria alone, the Turks massacred about 30 thousand people.

Serbia suffered defeats from Turkish troops. A small Montenegrin army took refuge high in the mountains. Without the help of European powers, and primarily Russia, the struggle of these peoples was doomed to defeat.

At the first stage of this crisis, the Russian government tried to coordinate its actions with the Western European powers. Broad sections of Russian society demanded that Alexander II take a more decisive position.

Russian Slavic committees in St. Petersburg, Moscow and some other cities were active. The most prominent representatives of the intelligentsia (writer and publicist I.S. Aksakov, literary critic V.V. Stasov, sculptor M.M. Antokolsky, scientists I.I. Mechnikov, D.I. Mendeleev, etc.). The committees collected funds for “brothers by blood and faith” and sent Russian volunteers, among whom were doctors N.F., to support the rebel Serbs, Bulgarians and other Balkan peoples. Sklifasovsky and S.P. Botkin, writer G.I. Uspensky, artists V.D. Polenov and K.E. Makovsky.

Given the passivity Western Europe in the Balkan issue and yielding to public pressure, the Russian government in 1876 demanded that the Sultan stop the extermination Slavic peoples and make peace with Serbia. However, the Turkish army continued active operations: it suppressed the uprising in Bosnia and Herzegovina and invaded Bulgaria. With the Balkan peoples suffering defeat and Turkey rejecting all proposals for a peaceful settlement, Russia declared war on the Ottoman Empire in April 1877. The 2nd stage of the Eastern crisis began.

Russia sought to avoid this Russian-Turkish war (1877-1878) because it was poorly prepared. The military reforms that began in the 60s were not completed. Small arms corresponded only 20% to modern models. The military industry was weak, and the army lacked shells and other ammunition. Russian military thought was in captivity of the German military doctrine, the father of which was Moltke.

At the same time, the Russian army had talented generals M.D. Skobelev, M.I. Dragomirov, I V. Gurko. The War Ministry developed a plan for a quick offensive war, as it understood that protracted operations were beyond the capabilities of the Russian economy and finances. Russia mobilized and signed an agreement with Romania on the passage of Russian troops through its territory.

The plan of the Russian command provided for the end of the war within a few months, so that Europe would not have time to interfere in the course of events. Since Russia did not have a navy on the Black Sea, it was difficult to pass through the eastern regions of Bulgaria (near the coast). Moreover, in this area there were powerful fortresses of Silistria, Shumla, Varna, Rushchuk, forming a quadrangle, in which the main forces of the Turkish army were located, and advance in this direction threatened the Russian army with protracted battles. It was decided to bypass these fortresses through the central regions of Bulgaria and go to Constantinople through the Shipka Pass.

By the beginning of June 1877, the Russian army, led by Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich (185 thousand people), concentrated on the left bank of the Danube. She was opposed by troops of approximately equal numbers under the command of Abdul Kerim Pasha. The bulk of the armed Turks were in the already indicated quadrangle of fortresses. The main forces of the Russian army concentrated somewhat to the west, at Zimnitsa. The main crossing of the Danube was being prepared there. Even further west, along the river, from Nikopol to Vidin, Romanian troops (45 thousand people) were stationed.

In terms of combat training, the Russian army was superior to the Turkish one, but in terms of the quality of weapons it was inferior to the Turks. Thus, the Turkish army was armed with the latest American and British rifles. The Turkish infantry had more ammunition and entrenching tools (shovels, picks, etc.). Russian soldiers had to save ammunition. An infantryman who spent more than 30 rounds of ammunition (more than half of his cartridge bag) during a battle faced punishment.

On December 24, 1877, Turkey, defeated by Russia, turned to the powers with a request for mediation. Only the British government responded and notified St. Petersburg of this appeal. Reply A.M. Gorchakov said: if the Porte wants to end the war, then with a request for a truce it must turn directly to the commander-in-chief of the Russian army. The granting of a truce was conditional on the preliminary acceptance of the provisions of the future peace treaty.

On January 8, 1878, the Porte turned to the Russian commander-in-chief, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich (senior) with a request for a truce. The offensive of the Russian troops developed successfully, so the Russian government was in no hurry to actually begin negotiations.

England tried to intervene in the negotiations, but Austria-Hungary did not support the militant position of the British. The Turkish commissioners, who arrived in Kazanlak on January 20, 1878, after hearing the peace terms, rejected most of the Russian demands. Russian troops continued to rapidly approach the Turkish capital. On January 31, 1878, in Adrianople, the Turks signed an armistice agreement, which included Turkey's consent to the preliminary conditions of the peace treaty proposed to it.

Austria-Hungary demanded the transfer of future terms Russian-Turkish world for discussion at an international conference. After some hesitation, England acceded to this demand. Russian government didn’t risk going into conflict with them. England sent its fleet to the Turkish shores. In response to this, Russian troops stopped 12 km from the Turkish capital, in the town of San Stefano. On February 19 (March 3), 1878, a preliminary peace treaty was signed in San Stefano, ending the Russian-Turkish war. The agreement was signed by Russian representatives - Count N.P. Ignatieva, former ambassador in Constantinople, and the head of the diplomatic chancellery under Commander-in-Chief A.I. Nelidov, and on the Turkish side - the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Porta Savfet Pasha and Sadullah Bey.

The Treaty of San Stefano significantly changed the map of the Balkans. A significant part of the Aegean coast was transferred to Bulgaria. Bulgaria became a principality in nominal vassalage of the Sultan, stretching from the Danube and the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea in the south and the Albanian mountains in the west. Turkish troops were deprived of the right to remain within Bulgaria. Within 2 years it was supposed to be occupied by the Russian army. For Turkey's patrons - British and Austro-Hungarian diplomacy - this situation seemed unacceptable.

The British government feared that by including Bulgaria in its sphere of influence, Russia would effectively become a Mediterranean power. In addition, Bulgaria's new borders came so close to Constantinople that the straits and the Turkish capital were under constant threat of attack from the Bulgarian bridgehead. In view of this, the Treaty of San Stefano met with a negative attitude from England.

The Treaty of San Stefano answered just as little to the interests of Austria-Hungary.

In Reichstadt and in the Budapest Convention of January 15, 1877, it was agreed that there would be no creation of a large Slavic state in the Balkans. In order to finally prevent the formation of such a state, the Constantinople Conference (December 1876) in its project divided Bulgaria into two parts along the meridional direction, and Western Bulgaria was to enter the sphere of Austrian influence. The Russians did not adhere to these projects, since they viewed Bulgaria as single state, which would cover a significant part of the Balkan Peninsula.

The Treaty of San Stefano also proclaimed the full sovereignty of Montenegro, Serbia and Romania, the provision of a port on the Adriatic to Montenegro, and Northern Dobruja to the Romanian principality, the return of South-Western Bessarabia to Russia, the transfer of Kars, Ardahan, Bayazet and Batum to it. Serbia and Montenegro had some territorial acquisitions.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, reforms had to be carried out in the interests of the Christian population, as well as in Crete, Epirus and Thessaly. Turkey had to pay Russia an indemnity in the amount of 1 billion 410 million rubles. However, most of this amount was covered by territorial concessions from Turkey. The actual payment was 310 million rubles. The Russians did not raise the issue of the straits in San Stefano.

The Treaty of San Stefano, in fact, divided the European and Asian possessions of the Ottoman Empire, which significantly weakened the political and economic power of the Porte and contributed to the further rise of the national liberation struggle of the peoples remaining under its rule. For lands that gained independence, it opened up opportunities for national, economic and cultural development.

England and Austria-Hungary, with the support of France, demanded the convening of a European Congress to discuss the articles of the treaty and, in order to put pressure on Russia, began military preparations. Russia, exhausted by the war, was forced to agree.

The Congress opened on June 13, 1878 in Berlin. Russia, England, France, Austria-Hungary, Prussia, Italy and Turkey took part in it. Representatives of the Balkan states were admitted to Berlin, but were not participants in the congress. The chairman of the congress was Bismarck. Each issue brought up for discussion caused heated debate. On July 13th, the congress ended its work with the signing of the Treaty of Berlin, which amended the Treaty of San Stefano. Russia was deprived of a significant part of the fruits of its victory. But the national interests of the Balkan peoples were also grossly violated in favor of the political and strategic considerations of England and Austria-Hungary.

The Congress deprived the Bulgarian people of the unity that the San Stefano Treaty had provided them, and for Bosnia and Herzegovina it replaced Turkish rule with Austro-Hungarian rule. An uprising broke out against the new masters and was brutally suppressed. Turkey's "defenders" - England and Austria - captured without firing a shot: the first - Cyprus, the second - Bosnia and Herzegovina. Thus, the essence of the Berlin Treaty was reduced to the partial division of Turkey.

In January 1879, a peace treaty was signed in Constantinople between Russia and Turkey, which established that the articles of the Treaty of San Stefano, repealed or amended in Berlin, were replaced by the terms of the Berlin Treaty. The unamended articles of the Treaty of San Stefano were also finally clarified.

Turkey rejected the London Protocol of six European powers, signed on March 31 (19), 1877.

WITH early XIX century, the process of national revival actively began in Bulgaria. The Bulgarians suddenly realized that they were Bulgarians, began actively building churches, painting icons, studying native language and so on. All this became possible thanks to the fact that the Ottoman Empire inexorably continued forward movement down.

The idea of national revival was reflected in fine arts. In the middle of the 18th century. In Bulgaria, several schools of painting developed, which were a purely folk phenomenon. In their formation big role family traditions played a role: often several generations of the same family were engaged in painting. So, for example, the Zograf family from the village of Dospei, not far from the city of Samokov, gave Bulgaria a whole galaxy of folk artists, who began to be called “Dospei”. Only one of them, Stanislav Dospevsky, received professional education in Russia, at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. Another “dospei” was the outstanding Bulgarian artist Zakhary Zograf.

Simultaneously with the growth of national self-awareness in Bulgaria, the movement for liberation from the Ottoman yoke expanded. In 1876, the April uprising broke out in Bulgaria, which was suppressed by the bashi-bazouks with particular cruelty in the form of cutting out entire villages, etc. After this, Russia received an excellent reason for new war against the Ottoman Empire.

On April 12, 1877, Russia declared war on Turkey. On the same day, the Bulgarian Central Revolutionary Committee in Bucharest issued an appeal to the Bulgarian people: “Brothers! The Russians are coming to us as brothers to protect us. The great and holy hour has struck, in which we must all stand as one alongside the Russian soldiers in the fight against the enemy.” The campaign of the Russian army across the Danube, unparalleled in difficulty and heroism, forever covering Russian weapons with the glory of Plevna and Sheinov, Shipka and Phillipol, lasted 314 days and nights. More than 50 thousand Russian soldiers died in the battles for the liberation of Bulgaria.

A brilliant denouement came at the end of 1877, when those who crossed the Danube Russian troops Plevna was captured. Türkiye quickly agreed to negotiations, peace and the formation of a semi-independent Bulgarian principality.

So in 1879, Bulgaria became an autonomous principality - a vassal of Turkey. In 1908 - an independent kingdom.

Photos for the article

Golden treasure from Panagyurishte

Ancient land Bulgaria has preserved many rich treasures. In addition to gold and silver coins - antique, Byzantine, ancient Bulgarian - they contain magnificent artistic treasures - minted silver and gold items. Many of the jewelry found in the Bulgarian land became world famous and were exhibited in the largest museums in Europe.

Second Bulgarian Kingdom

In 1185, a massive massacre began in Bulgaria popular uprising against Byzantine rule, which was led by the boyars brothers Asen and Peter. The uprising was a complete success.

Thracians

Bulgaria is very close to one of the cradles of civilization - the Eastern Mediterranean. In fact, it was the northern outskirts Ancient Greece. The Greeks, in fact, were the first civilized inhabitants of the Bulgarian Black Sea region. And the targeted development of Bulgarian lands began in the 6th century BC. e.

Bulgarian Revival Courtyards

During the period of the Bulgarian Renaissance, in the area along the upper reaches of the Luda-Kamchia River, a special type of architectural creativity arose, which was reflected in the history of national architecture, as the Kotlen or Zheraven folk house. The main role in the economic and cultural life of the region was then played by the rich village of Kotel, famous for its artisans, which became the center of the entire region. The economic and cultural upsurge also spread to the neighboring villages - Zheravna, Gradets, Medven, Ichera, Kanuniste - where intensive construction also began. In many places, to this day you can see residential buildings preserved in relatively good condition, dating from both the Renaissance and later. early times. Thanks to them, it is possible to recreate a more or less accurate picture of the state of housing architecture and the appearance of courtyards.

Proto-Bulgarians

Proto-Bulgarians are essentially Turks. They once roamed from Central Asia to the Volga steppes, i.e. right along the current territory Russian Federation. Very little is known about them due to their lack of advancement and reluctance to found cities and live like all normal people. After they migrated to their place of permanent deployment, they were replaced by famous assholes - the Pechenegs, who drank a lot of Slavic blood.

On March 3, 2018, Bulgaria celebrated the 140th anniversary of its liberation from the Ottoman yoke. It was on this day in 1878 that Russia and Turkey signed the Treaty of San Stefano, according to which Bulgarian statehood was restored after 500 years of foreign rule. Despite the decisive contribution of Russian troops to the liberation of Bulgaria, over the past century and a half, relations between Moscow and Sofia have not been easy.

Celebrating the Day of Liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman yoke Gettyimages.ru © Contributor

Made in San Stefano

On March 3, Bulgaria celebrates Liberation Day from the Ottoman yoke. This is one of the main national holidays of the country, established in honor of the end of the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878. On March 3, 1878, in the suburb of Constantinople San Stefano (now Yeşilköy), where Russian troops advancing towards the capital of the Ottoman Empire stopped, representatives of Russia and Turkey signed a peace treaty. One of his conditions was the re-establishment of the Bulgarian state.

In addition, Turkey was forced to recognize the independence of Serbia, the United Principality of Moldavia and Wallachia (the future Romania) and Montenegro, which were allies of Russia in that war.

As Associate Professor of Nizhny Novgorod State University noted in an interview with RT. N.I. Lobachevsky Maxim Medovarov, Russo-Turkish War The years 1877-1878 and the San Stefano Peace Treaty “awakened the Balkans”, influencing not only the processes in Bulgaria.

"Both the Albanian and Macedonian problems were first identified in San Stefano." , - notes the expert.

It was in 1878, Medovarov emphasizes, with the formation of the Albanian League of Prizren that the movement for the creation of an Albanian state began.

Macedonia, which, according to the San Stefano Peace Treaty, was supposed to become part of Bulgaria, according to the results of the Berlin Congress that followed this treaty, remained part of Ottoman Turkey. The result was the growth of the national movement in a radical form and the creation in 1896 of the Internal Macedonian-Odrin revolutionary organization, which began guerrilla warfare against the Turks, and after the annexation of Macedonia to Serbia in 1913 - against the Serbs. The most famous victim of the Macedonian militants was the King of Yugoslavia, Alexander I Karadjordjevic, who was killed in Marseille in 1934. The Abwehr and Croatian Ustashes actively helped the Macedonians in organizing this assassination attempt.

As a result of the Berlin Congress, imposed on Russia by the European powers, Bulgaria itself was also affected, its territory being reduced by more than half compared to the terms of the San Stefano Peace Treaty. However, already in the 1880s, the country reoriented its policy from the Russian Empire to the states of Europe.

As Medovarov noted, the social base on which the Bulgarian political elite was created played a key role in this process.

"Bulgaria was, in fact, created in San Stefano, and the entire Bulgarian political class was created from the intelligentsia or lower-class merchants, there was simply no one else,"- notes the expert. - “They all received their education either in the West or in Russia among Russian nihilistic revolutionaries.” .

A striking example is the Prime Minister and Regent of Bulgaria Stefan Stambolov, expelled from the Odessa Theological Seminary in 1873 for his connections with revolutionaries. It was this former Russian seminarian who most actively fought against Russian influence in the country.

Paradoxically, the Russian Empire itself also contributed to the distance between Bulgaria and Russia.

« After San Stefano, the Russian authorities imposed on Bulgaria in 1879 the liberal so-called Tarnovo Constitution, which removed the levers of government Orthodox clergy- that part of the educated population that could be our support. All power passed into the hands of revolutionary intellectuals and their parties “- states Medovarov.

According to him, this constitution played a fatal role in the formation of the pro-Western orientation of the Bulgarian political class. Under the first prince of Bulgaria, Alexander I of Battenberg, the Bulgarian politician favored an alliance with Great Britain, and after the accession of Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to the Bulgarian throne in 1897 - with Germany and Austria.

The people are silent

« Many Bulgarians accused Russia of not conquering Macedonia and other lands for them, Medovarov notes another reason for the cooling of the Bulgarian elite towards Russia. - Our country was accused of insufficiently defending Bulgarian interests at the Berlin Congress of 1879 ».

The fact that Russia did not support Bulgaria during the Second Balkan War of 1913, when the country was attacked by Serbia, Greece, Romania and Turkey, according to the historian, finally brought Bulgaria into the camp of countries allied with Germany. Later, in two world wars, Sofia tried to regain control over Macedonia lost after the Second Balkan War. After Soviet troops liberated Bulgaria, a communist regime was established in the country. Now this is another reason for criticism of Russia by pro-Western liberals.

“Resentments accumulated, but these were grievances on the part of a certain part of the Bulgarian political class,” Medovarov emphasizes, “The people have always been on the side of Russia. The masses have always been pro-Russian, but had no voice in politics.”

This is confirmed, according to the historian, by the fact that reviews of Russia from the peasants who made up the majority of the Bulgarian population, as well as priests, back in late XIX centuries were positive, although the authorities in Sofia were already oriented towards the West. And now, according to a study by the American sociological center Pew Research Center, conducted in May 2017, 56% of Bulgarians believe that a strong Russia is necessary in order to resist the West.

Residents of Sofia greet Soviet soldiers, 1944 RIA Novosti

Medovarov recalls that in 1940, a mass movement developed in Bulgaria to conclude a non-aggression pact with Soviet Russia - after the pro-German government came to power.

« Almost half the country signed up for an alliance with the USSR, but the authorities completely ignored it "- notes the expert.

As Bulgarian political scientist Plamen Miletkov, chairman of the board of the Eurasian Institute of Geopolitics and Economics, said in an interview with RT, a similar situation is observed to this day.

« Ordinary people - they are with Russia, - notes the expert. - But politicians sometimes say one thing and do another. They fulfill American orders in Bulgaria and the Balkans. You will now see how Bulgaria will work with Macedonia, with Kosovo, with Greece, so that Bulgaria becomes a leader in the Balkans, but this is the wrong course ».

According to the expert, main goal Bulgarian policy to draw Macedonia into the EU and NATO is to create obstacles to plans to carry out the European part of the Turkish Stream through this country to the Balkans. However, this, like Sofia’s refusal from South Stream, is in the interests not of Bulgaria, but of the United States.

« Now in Bulgaria there is American propaganda that Russia did not liberate Bulgaria and did nothing, and there was no war at all"- notes the expert.

Hopes for change

Bulgaria is celebrating the 140th anniversary of the restoration of statehood today as a member of NATO, a military-political bloc that is now in power. However, for the first time since 2003, the country's leadership invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to celebrate the anniversary of the country's liberation from the Ottoman yoke. This was done by President Rumen Radev, elected in November 2016, who advocates establishing friendly ties with Russia.

And although the President of the Russian Federation will not come to Bulgaria this year on March 3, as noted by the Russian Ambassador in Sofia Anatoly Makarov, it is quite possible that he will visit this country within a year. Makarov himself will represent Russia at the festive events. The day before, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' arrived in the country on a special visit.

Although President Radev constantly talks about the need to lift the sanctions that Bulgaria, like other EU countries, have imposed against Russia, the government, which holds the real power, is in no hurry to raise this issue. In September 2017, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov said that he could not agree with the thesis that Russia is not an enemy of Bulgaria.

« How can one say in military doctrine that Russia is not our enemy and still remain a member of NATO? - the Prime Minister said on local television. - This is a contradiction. Our doctrine says that if war breaks out, we will fight on the side of NATO».

At the same time, the prime minister emphasized that he is against the strengthening in the Black Sea and for cooperation with Russia in the tourism and energy fields.

« Boyko Borisov wants to work with Russia, but does what the American ambassador orders "- notes Miletkov.

According to the expert, the United States may have dirt on the Bulgarian leader. In the early 1990s, he headed a security agency that was suspected of having ties to the underworld. A CIA cable published by WikiLeaks dated May 9, 2006, alleged that Borisov may be involved in drug trafficking. The Prime Minister of Bulgaria himself denies this information.

However, according to the Bulgarian expert, it is likely that in 2018 there will be a change in power in Bulgaria. Currently, Borisov’s government relies on a shaky coalition between his GERB party (Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria) and the nationalist United Patriots bloc, which, in turn, has disagreements regarding relations with Russia.

« I think that at the end of the year, in November-December, the government will change, there will be new elections and we will work normally with Russia"- states Miletkov.

« For us now the situation is favorable in the sense that, at least, the people are loyal to us, and these people have shown their abilities by electing an adequate president "- says Medovarov.

According to the expert, Bulgaria’s exit from US influence is “not only a Balkan, but a global issue.”

« If the American grip begins to really weaken around the world, then we will have more opportunities in the Balkans ", says the political scientist.

Who liberated Bulgaria. Who liberated Bulgaria? The empire, which existed due to despotic governance and vassal relations, has long been rotten and bursting at the seams