Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov said on Saturday that his country is facing hybrid attacks aimed at undermining its efforts to join the eurozone, and pointed to Russian involvement in the disinformation campaigns.
“If you follow the developments closely, you will notice strong hybrid attacks targeting Bulgaria’s accession to the eurozone,” Zhelyazkov told reporters after meeting with his Moldovan counterpart Dorin Recean in Chisinau.
Zhelyazkov said there was concrete evidence that Russia is involved in attempts to sway public opinion, particularly among the Bulgarian minority in Moldova’s Taraclia region, through disinformation and language-based manipulation.
“That is why we want the Bulgarians in Taraclia to use the Bulgarian language more actively, and why we are focusing our efforts on education,” he said.
The Bulgarian prime minister also drew parallels between Bulgaria and Moldova’s shared past under Soviet influence.
“Moldova was a Soviet republic. Bulgaria, while never officially part of the USSR, was its most loyal ally within COMECON and the Warsaw Pact,” Zhelyazkov said.
He warned that Moscow continues to use historical narratives to exert influence, promoting the idea of a ‘Russian World’ and asserting a supposed right to interfere in other countries’ national self-determination.
“I am certain that both Bulgaria and Moldova are experiencing a kind of semi-hybrid influence,” he said.
Zhelyazkov said this influence operates through two main channels: politically, via actors whose rhetoric aligns with Russian positions, and strategically, by attempting to erode public confidence in Bulgaria’s pro-European orientation and Moldova’s EU aspirations.