Ivan Bedrov is the director of RFE/RL's Bulgarian Service.
As the country approaches its sixth parliamentary elections in three years, two perennial and pervasive issues remain: corruption and the malign influence of Russia.
After two years of political gridlock, Bulgaria could be on the path to political stability with a government being voted in by parliament. But one of its stated goals, reforming the country's security apparatus where Russia still reportedly wields much influence, had nearly hijacked it.
The office of Bulgaria's uber-powerful prosecutor-general quickly spread misleading information after a roadside blast near his motorcade, sparking confusion and politicking, and accusations that the attack was a false flag.
Bulgaria is holding its fourth parliamentary elections in less than two years. The country's political instability is not helped by a rash of small parties that are nationalist, anti-liberal, and firmly pro-Russian.
Whatever happens after the collapse of Bulgaria's ruling coalition, it's clear that Sofia has been slowed on euro adoption, crucial reforms, and an EU-friendly compromise for North Macedonia.
Russia's energy giant LUKoil appears to have a thriving business in Bulgaria, generating millions of dollars in refining revenue. But the company has paid little if any tax over the years using an accounting trick. Bulgarian politicians are largely looking the other way.
Czech officials blame a secretive Russian military intelligence unit for a 2014 explosion at an ammunition depot. Members of that same unit were traveling in Bulgaria around the same time that six explosions hit Bulgarian weapons factories in 2014 and 2015.
The cause of the 2014 explosions at two Czech arms depots has been a mystery for years. Czech authorities now say a secretive Russian military intelligence unit was to blame -- the same unit linked to a spate of poisonings, assassination attempts, and subversive actions across Europe.
Bulgarian President Rumen Radev has called on the government and the prosecutor-general to step down as thousands of citizens gathered in the capital and near a beach on the Black Sea to protest corruption within the nation’s elite.
Ex-Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov says his two-year legal battle is a cautionary tale of shadowy prosecutions in postcommunist Bulgaria, with lessons that extend well beyond politics.
NATO jets intercepted Russian planes flying close to NATO airspace nearly 300 times in 2019, an alliance official said, amid a continuing upward trend of Russian and NATO aircraft encounters.
An independent Bulgarian television station has accused Prime Minister Boyko Borisov of "spreading false rumors" after he insinuated it was working at the behest of an exiled oligarch.
A former Bulgarian lawmaker who has been accused of spying on behalf of Russia traveled to Moscow after being given special court permission and received an award personally from President Vladimir Putin.
A Russian diplomat has left Bulgaria after the Eastern European country’s prosecutor launched an investigation into potential spying operations.
Bulgarian police seek clues for motive in gruesome rape, killing of journalist.
A Bulgarian TV reporter has been found dead in a northern border city and authorities say they are investigating into whether it was a random crime or was connected to her reporting work.
