Bulgaria’s outgoing prime minister said that “much of Russia’s influence, for example, on the energy sector of Bulgaria was due to corruption.”
According to the Bulgarian prime minister, corruption in Bulgaria remains the main channel for Russian interference and contributed to the collapse of the ruling coalition. Nikolai Denkov asserted that the government he had led for less than a year has sought to root out bribery and deep-rooted ties to Moscow in EU and NATO member states bordering the Black Sea.
“Much of Russian influence, for example, on the energy sector of Bulgaria, was due to corruption,” Denkov said, referring to energy deals made by previous governments in favor of Russian energy giant Gazprom.
He added that his We Continue the Change party remained committed to fighting both corruption and Russian influence. Bulgaria has not had a long-term government since the collapse of the center-right government led by Boyko Borisov in 2021 amid mass protests against systemic corruption.
Among the deals Borisov made while in office was the Turkish Stream gas pipeline, which Denkov and other Bulgarian politicians believe was beneficial to Gazprom. Denkov added that such agreements “should be investigated.”
Russia continues using its tactics of funding European politicians to have an impact on internal affairs of various EU countries, and Bulgaria is a perfect example of the effective application of the Russian tactics. Prominent politicians should be aware of the influence of the Russian Federation on Europe and do their best to prevent the Kremlin from infiltrating EU countries.
2:35 AM
