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

Before the euro adoption people are pessimistic about the economic present and future

The overall consumer confidence index in October 2025 fell by 4 points compared to July, the National Statistical Institute has reported. In July, the indicator decreased by 4.7 points compared to April. In October, there was an..

published on 11/7/25 1:24 PM
Major General Deyan Deshkov

Bulgaria to equip its military units with drone control simulators

By mid-December, all military units in the country will be equipped with drone control simulators, said Major General Deyan Deshkov, Commander of the Land Forces, at the Lyulyak training ground near Stara Zagora. He clarified that the drones have..

published on 11/7/25 11:21 AM

The state proposes the appointment of a special commercial administrator for Lukoil Bulgaria

Swiss commodity trader Gunvor said it has withdrawn its proposal to buy Lukoil’s foreign assets, including the refinery in Burgas, after the U.S. Treasury called it Russia’s ‘puppet’, Reuters reported. Prime Minister: Bulgaria has a..

published on 11/7/25 11:04 AM

WEATHER
Pick city: Sofía
Rain
Min: 8 | Max: 14
Cloudy
Min: 13 | Max: 18
Cloudy
Min: 12 | Max: 17
Scattered showers
Min: 9 | Max: 13
Overcast, rain
Min: 9 | Max: 15
Scattered showers
Min: 9 | Max: 16
Scattered showers
Min: 9 | Max: 17
Cloudy
Min: 9 | Max: 16
Scattered showers
Min: 11 | Max: 16
Rain
Min: 8 | Max: 13
Overcast, rain
Min: 9 | Max: 17
Scattered showers
Min: 9 | Max: 13
Scattered showers
Min: 11 | Max: 16
Rain
Min: 6 | Max: 13
Overcast, rain
Min: 9 | Max: 16
Scattered showers
Min: 10 | Max: 16
Cloudy
Min: 8 | Max: 16
Cloudy
Min: 9 | Max: 18
Cloudy
Min: 9 | Max: 17
Scattered showers
Min: 12 | Max: 15
Overcast, rain
Min: 4 | Max: 12
Rain
Min: 7 | Max: 14
Scattered showers
Min: 11 | Max: 16
Cloudy
Min: 10 | Max: 16
Scattered showers
Min: 12 | Max: 17
Cloudy
Min: 10 | Max: 16
Scattered showers
Min: 12 | Max: 16
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

Birth rate in Bulgaria has decreased by 33% since 1994

Birth rate in Bulgaria has decreased by 33% over the past three decades. In 1994, 79,442 live births were registered in the country, while in 2024 the..

published on 11/6/25 5:15 PM

Research ship "Sts. Cyril and Methodius" departs for Antarctica

Research ship "Sts. Cyril and Methodius" has departed from Varna after a solemn ceremony. In its fourth voyage to Antarctica the ship..

published on 11/7/25 3:21 PM

Sales of starter sets with Bulgarian euro coins begin on December 1

Sales of starter sets with euro coins with the Bulgarian national side will begin on December 1, 2025 , the BNB announced. They will be in circulation..

published on 11/7/25 6:10 PM

english@bnr.bg

+359 2 9336 661

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