Don't say you weren't warned..

@JimJ - This is a very interesting post Jim. I personally "put off" buying in BG for 2 years upon learning NATO were building the largest military base in Europe in Romania. Held stuck with the thought if the Ukraine War was to spill over, Bulgaria could be very vulnerable and Brits would be repatriated by necessity or captive by force.

However, I dropped those fears when I discovered some Ukraine and Russian citizens remain friends inside Bulgaria. And further learned the Bulgarians have great respect for Russia.

This was confirmed yesterday when I spent the day at Baba Marta festival in Yambol. Everyone (the public) had both Bulgarian and Russian flags during the celebrations and we were gifted a flag of each by a kind and friendly local.

While of course, things can change politically and militarily, I'm holding faith in the idea people on the whole will always work towards peace.

(As a side note, the Bulgarians who have become my friends all seem to like and respect the Ukrainian people, but they very much dislike zelenski and the approach Nato are taking in Europe)

@S25 - Sean

I know a (very) few Bulgarians who are friends with Russians - and they fall into two categories:

1 - older folks who still can't cope with the freedom that came after the fall of Communism and preferred the "stability" of being told what to think and do, in return for having a job - and place of residence - allocated to you, and a small but steady income regardless of how much you actually worked or produced.

2 - real or pretend Communists, who were happy to shop/spy on their fellow-citizens either because they really believed the BS they were fed at school and work, or because it gave them a little bit of power to wield over them.  These are the people who still can't believe their luck that there were no consequences for them after "Democracy" arrived, and probably still figure that they can side with Putin and do it all over again unscathed.  It never ceases to amaze me that there was no Day of Reckoning in Eastern Europe, despite the oppression and murder carried out by so many communists and their lackeys. My in-laws remember only too well what life was like in those days, and how short it could be if you talked out of turn or didn't do as you were told; I know very well what their reaction would be if a "kind and friendly local" presented them with a Russian flag!

Most, if not all, of these folks vote for the Moscow-funded "socialist" BSP and support the likewise Moscow-funded President.  The corruption that's endemic here is mostly a result of the impunity enjoyed by the thieves who stole entire companies and sectors of business, as well as the judiciary, most chunks of the political system, and even the church - all without any consequences (apart from the risk of attracting the envy of some other bigger thief and being bumped off in one of the interminable turf wars).  That culture of impunity started when the communists basically stole the whole country, killed anyone who wanted to retain their own property, kept whatever was valuable and then doled out the rest "in the name of the People".

The, now largely reversed, wholesale purchase of Black Sea properties by Russians wasn't well received by the educated Bulgarians of my acquaintance, who could recognise the all too obvious signs of a fifth column in their country.  Most of these Bulgarians felt somewhat sorry for the average Russian, who they saw as being brainwashed into believing Uncle Vlad's BS lies and propaganda, but after such a long period of Russian aggression against Ukraine, and interference in the democratic processes of so many countries that were once in the Russian sphere, they question whether the Russian population is in fact being misled or if they really do support what's going on in Ukraine.

For what it's worth, if I had the influence I'd arrange for all Ukrainian men of military age in Europe to be rounded up and returned to their own country: they have no business being here when so many thousands of their fellow-countrymen are bravely fighting and dying for the freedom of their homeland. Most of them are pretty well off, care only for money and have no intention of defending anything apart from their own interests; quite a few are running shady businesses here to boot, although they pay well enough to only rarely find themselves on the wrong end of an arrest warrant.

It's a real and very challenging issue to consider, for sure.

This is just my view purely based on my reading, not on the real lived experiences of the Soviet era @JimJ and his wife and her family members have, and is very probably wishful thinking. But here goes.

My sense is that Putin is not looking to restore the former Soviet Union. His speeches and writings seem to suggest he's seeking more for a return to Tsarist Imperial Russia, as part of a bigger philosophical and semi-spiritual shift and his desire to be a powerful figure in Russian history. Ukraine plays an important part in that philosophy, as it's been seen by many for a very long time as part of Russia rather than an independent country.

I don't agree with that thinking, or with the invasion of Ukraine. OTOH, I have little respect for Zelenskyy, either. I hope a peace deal can be worked out, though I suspect that will require Ukraine to cede the Crimea to Russia. But it seems impossible there will ever be a true peace between the two countries, there's too much history there for that.

This is a challenging and turbulent time for all of Europe, as Trump and Putin, two dictators with imperial aspirations, basically decide between themselves how they'll carve up the world. It seems unlikely to me that Russia would go as far as invading Bulgaria. It's not part of the Tsarist empire I believe Putin seeks to rebuild. But that may be conditional on Bulgaria accepting a pro-Russian government, as in Belarus. How that will affect everyday life for residents of Bulgaria, I'm not sure.

@JimJ is correct. The geopolitical forces at work in the world are things we do need to consider, though we may come to different conclusions about the course of action to take.

I just think there's too many perspectives and convolution for it to matter. All government lies, they all have agendas and pump propaganda. In every nation really.

I believe what I see, and that is 1 thing in Bulgaria. A nation of hardworking people who just want to get along well with others and live a good life.

The political antics are things we can't really change, so perhaps just do as they do. Live peaceful, appreciate one another and be happy.

The political antics are things we can't really change, so perhaps just do as they do. Live peaceful, appreciate one another and be happy. - @S25 - Sean

It's definitely time to brush up your Bulgarian and start reading the local media - what you're describing may, for the most part, apply to the old folks in villages where everyone knows everyone else and tries to ignore what's happening in the country as a whole, but when you really get to grips with the language and the way politics works in Bulgaria, and this region as a whole, you'll soon find out that life in general is nowhere near as idyllic as you imagine... 😁

Certainly going to continue to be a bumpy ride to adopting the euro in Bulgaria.

Easy for third parties to stoke the divisive flames.

@JimJ

I get your point but yeh I've been speaking to people about all manner of things, mainly hotel staff in the cities, trains, taxi drivers ect. Still a lot to learn, but don't believe the news any more than 20%. There's always an agenda behind the main narrative.

Interesting to see different perspectives from you and everyone else too 🙏

Agree with you Sean. I don’t even believe 20%. I detest politics these days, intentionally causing division. The west is deteriorating fast and I like to think Bulgaria is not as far forward in their agenda because of it being poorer so will hopefully take longer to get to that point.

When you live in various countries you learn there is a huge difference between rural

and city mindsets.