BOLD (Bulgarian Community for Liberal Democracy) and the Foreign Policy Council “Ukrainian Prism” (Kyiv) invite you to a panel discussion aimed at clarifying past and present dependencies on Russia in various sectors of the Bulgarian economy and how these have been changing because of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

This is the second event in the “Bulgarian Roads in the Shadow of War” series, in which we analyze the impact of the war on Bulgaria. This time, we will present the results of a research project entitled “The Russian Octopus in the Black Sea Region: Identifying Vulnerable Areas – Strengthening Resilience” and implemented by the Foreign Policy Council “Ukrainian Prism”, with consultancy assistance of BOLD experts for the Bulgarian chapter, and with the financial support of the European Union and the Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation.

The massive geopolitical turmoil resulting from the war in Ukraine is also changing Bulgaria. Panelists will discuss the economic, financial and energy consequences of the war, and how they all affect liberal democratic institutions and values. After decades of Russian presence in Bulgaria, how can we choose economic and energy policies that are best for Bulgaria, and how does the ‘best’ look like? Is it possible to improve the normative environment that supports Bulgarian institutions in rejecting corrupt practices and dependencies? Are there political, normative, or institutional mechanisms for state monitoring and control of Russian representative offices and companies in the country that pose a threat to national security and independence? Should the state take control of strategic sites on our territory linked in various ways to the Putin regime? Is there a toolkit for tracking and illuminating financial flows from Russian sources to Bulgaria, including to strategic sectors of the economy, the media, political and social organizations?

The participants in the panels:

Ognyan Minchev (Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”) – Overcoming oligarchic corruption practices in the post-Soviet space

Sergiy Gerasymchuk (Ukrainian Prism) – “Russian Octopus in the Black Sea Region”: Results of a study of Russian influence in Eastern European societies

Mykhailo Drapak (Ukrainian Prism) – Russian presence and influence in Bulgaria in the context of the war against Ukraine

Viktoriia Kravchyk (Ukrainian Prism) – The role of Russian embassies in Eastern Europe in Russia’s war policy.

Martin Vladimirov (Center for the Study of Democracy) – Strategies for overcoming Russia’s economic footprint and influence in Bulgaria

Moderator: Victor Lilov (BOLD)

Participation is free. Please register here. Once you register, you will receive a link to the event shortly before the start and you will be able to participate directly.

The event will also be broadcast here.

The event is held with the financial support of Active Citizens Fund Bulgaria (www.activecitizensfund.bg) under the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area, and the Black Sea Trust.