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

Valdis Dombrovskis

EU may cut money for Bulgaria because of delayed anti-corruption reforms

It is theoretically possible that Bulgaria could apply for a third payment under the Recovery and Resilience Plan by the end of 2025, European Commissioner for Economy Valdis Dombrovskis announced in an interview with the Bulgarian..

published on 11/3/25 11:38 AM

Bulgaria to participate again in Eurovision Song Contest in 2026

Bulgaria is to participate in the prestigious Eurovision Song Contest, which will celebrate its 70th edition in 2026. The return is part of the Bulgarian National Television’s efforts to promote Bulgarian culture and talent to an..

published on 11/3/25 10:40 AM

Keeping up with the times, the Holy Synod launches Orthodox mobile application for young people

With the blessing of the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, a mobile application for believers has been available on the official website of the Patriarchate since November 1. In its first version, the application includes..

published on 11/3/25 9:11 AM

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