ПРОГРАМИ
en de ru fr es sr gr al tr ro
Podcast in English
Share
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

The fate of the Russian Church in Sofia will be decided by the Russian Orthodox Church 

Руската църква
Photo: Ани Петрова

Citizens gathered in front of the Church of St. Nicholas the Miracle-Maker, widely known as the Russian Church, in Sofia to express their dissatisfaction with its closing. 

"The Russian temple, which for many years was a place of common prayer for Russians and Bulgarians, will now be closed," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said after the Bulgarian authorities decided to expel the church's head and two Belarusian priests. This was done on the grounds that the clerics posed a threat to national security. 

Meanwhile, the Minister of Military Affairs, Todor Tagarev, said that the services had compelling information that the three were serving Moscow's geopolitical interests. "There is a SANS report that shows that they are carrying out actions that are not consistent with their status in Bulgaria," Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov said. 

"The Church of St. Nicholas the Miracle-Maker will at this stage cease its activities, its further fate will be decided by the Russian Orthodox Church," reads a message on the Facebook page of the Russian Embassy in the country.

Russian Ambassador to Bulgaria Eleonora Mitrofanova told Russia-24 online live TV channel that the Bulgarian Ambassador to Russia Atanas Kristin will be summoned at the Russian Foreign Ministry over the expulsion of the three priests. "I think that no one will take mirror actions with regard to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church in Moscow. We are not barbarians," Mitrofanova said.

Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.
Radio Bulgaria News    Church of St. Nicholas the Miracle-Maker Eleonora Mitrofanova Maria Zakharova the Russian Church Todor Tagarev

More from category

The weather will remain largely unchanged, with showers occurring only in the eastern regions

On Wednesday, the lowest temperatures will range from 5°C to 10°C, around 7°C in Sofia. During the day, cloud cover will remain significant, with light rain in some areas, mainly in Southeastern Bulgaria and the mountain regions. There will be a light..

published on 11/4/25 6:45 PM

Chirpan Tunnel on the Plovdiv-Burgas railway line to be ready by the end of 2026

Prokopan is the only railway tunnel on the Plovdiv-Burgas line. This became clear during a visit by Deputy Minister of Transport Lyuben Nanov, who was on-site to see the progress in the modernization of the Orizovo-Mihaylovo railway section. The..

published on 11/4/25 6:34 PM

Unemployment benefits in Sofia go above the minimum wage

Unemployment benefits in Sofia continue to be above the minimum wage, according to the latest data from the National Social Security Institute. It is the highest in the country and is on average 1,145 leva (585.43 EUR).  The lowest unemployment..

published on 11/4/25 3:48 PM

WEATHER
Pick city: Sofía
Cloudy
Min: 8 | Max: 15
Scattered showers
Min: 11 | Max: 14
Overcast, rain
Min: 10 | Max: 15
Cloudy
Min: 9 | Max: 16
Cloudy
Min: 9 | Max: 12
Cloudy
Min: 10 | Max: 12
Cloudy
Min: 9 | Max: 11
Scattered showers
Min: 8 | Max: 12
Scattered showers
Min: 9 | Max: 13
Cloudy
Min: 7 | Max: 14
Cloudy
Min: 9 | Max: 12
Cloudy
Min: 10 | Max: 15
Cloudy
Min: 9 | Max: 14
Cloudy
Min: 7 | Max: 12
Cloudy
Min: 9 | Max: 13
Cloudy
Min: 8 | Max: 14
Cloudy
Min: 8 | Max: 11
Cloudy
Min: 10 | Max: 14
Cloudy
Min: 10 | Max: 14
Scattered showers
Min: 9 | Max: 13
Scattered showers
Min: 6 | Max: 9
Cloudy
Min: 7 | Max: 12
Cloudy
Min: 8 | Max: 12
Overcast, rain
Min: 9 | Max: 12
Scattered showers
Min: 9 | Max: 12
Overcast, rain
Min: 9 | Max: 12
Scattered showers
Min: 8 | Max: 12
BULGARIA IN PICTURES
Which world-famous Bulgarian artist designed QSL cards for Radio Bulgaria?
Yasen Gyuzelev
Theodore Ushev
Christo Javacheff - Christo
Ilia Peikov
Lika Yanko

BULGARIANS ABROAD

Български English Русский Deutsch Српски Français Ελληνικά Español Shqip Türkçe Română
MOST VIEWED

EU report urges North Macedonia to include Bulgarians in the constitution

North Macedonia has still not adopted the necessary constitutional amendments aimed at including Bulgarians and other non-majority communities in the..

published on 11/3/25 5:22 PM

Bulgaria relies on the honorary consuls in the country to help create new partnerships

Bulgaria relies on the efforts of honorary consuls from around the world to help establish new partnerships in the fields of economy, trade, innovation,..

published on 11/3/25 6:10 PM

A cold front will pass through the country

On Tuesday , the lowest temperatures will be between 8 and 13°C; in Sofia - about 8°C. During the day, it will remain cloudy. There..

published on 11/3/25 7:45 PM

english@bnr.bg

+359 2 9336 661

Общи условия за използване на сайта | Политика за поверителност | Политика за "бисквитки"