The Russian embassies in Skopje and Sofia recently celebrated the National Holiday of the Russian Federation “Russia Day” by organizing receptions in both capitals thereby sending scandalous messages regarding the Russian military aggression in Ukraine.
Today, the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs was forced to publicly respond and condemn the attempts of the Russian Ambassador, Eleonora Mitrofanova, as “unacceptable and inadmissible disinformation made on 12th June” during the reception on the occasion of celebrating “Russia Day” organized at the Embassy of Russia in Sofia.
As mediapool.bg reports, the specific reaction of the Bulgarian MFA is due to the following words of Mitrofanova in her speech:
“… official Sofia confidently adheres to the anti-Russian narrative. The country’s systematic involvement in the conflict in Ukraine, be it by supplying the Kyiv regime with ammunition, or for example, by possibly sending a national contingent to the zone of military operations, undoubtedly will have a negative impact on the bilateral dialogue”, said Mitrofanova at the reception.
Mediapool.bg adds that the hints of the Russian Ambassador, Eleonora Mitrofanova, about sending a Bulgarian military contingent to Ukraine is part of the huge disinformation campaign spreading on the social networks in the days before the election of the new Bulgarian government.
The Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs defines the hypotheses and the assumptions made in the address as inadmissible, which was also published on the site of the Embassy of the Russian Federation on social networks.
In its position, the MFA recalls that Bulgaria strongly condemns Russia’s military aggression and contributes to the international efforts to support Ukraine, and that responsible behaviour was incompatible with distorted information in public space.
Mediapool.bg reports in a separate text about the people present at the reception organized by the Russian Embassy in Sofia. The event was attended by the leaders of the pro-Russian party “Prerodba” (Rebirth), as well as representatives of the Bulgarian Socialist Party – two parties that have their own members in the Bulgarian Parliament. The reception was also attended by representatives of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and social organizations.
Reception in Skopje with a message from Bazdnikin that Russia is being defended in Ukraine
In addition to the reception in Sofia, the Russian Embassy in North Macedonia also organized an event that marked “Russia Day”. The Russian Ambassador to the country, Sergey Bazdnikin, mentioned the military aggression that Russia launched against Ukraine on 24 February 2021, and proceeding to this day at an unabated pace.
In the address full with propaganda, Bazdnikin did not miss to declare that:
“Once again Russia has to fight for freedom and independence today”. Last year, the “Collective West” went from poorly disguised hostility towards our country to an actual participation in the conflict on the side of Kyiv. At the same time hiding behind Ukraine – which in fact is an inseparable part of the Russian world – became “anti-Russia” – a disposable tool for inflicting maximum damage, or “strategic defeat”.
Bazdnikin reiterated his position on the “special military operation” that took place in Ukraine, and sent a message to all those who spread Russo-phobic propaganda by sending weapons to the East “for killing Russians”: “We are defending our country and our people”.
And the Russian Embassy in Skopje did not fail to publish many photos of the public figures present at the reception organized on the occasion of “Russia Day”. The photos show the presence of the Prespa-Pelagonian Metropolitan of the MOC-OA, Mr. Peter, the former ambassador, Risto Nikovski, the former rector of UKIM, Velimir Stojkovski, the biker from “Night Wolves”, Lenin Jovanovski, journalist, Saso Damovski, his brother, Boris Damovski etc.
This article was developed within the framework of the project “Promoting Access to Reliable News to Counter Disinformation”, implemented by the Metamorphosis Foundation. The article, which has been published on the Macedonian-language version of Truthmeter, was produced with the support of the American non-profit foundation NED (National Endowment for Democracy). The contents of the article is the responsibility of the author and do not always reflect the positions of Metamorphosis Foundation, NED or their partners.
