“The pro-Russian propaganda in Bulgaria is parasitic on an emotional narrative deeply rooted in the Bulgarian consciousness: the narrative of Russia the liberator, of the primordial and eternal connection between the Bulgarian and Russian people. This has been superimposed on the consciousness of generations since the beginning of the Third Bulgarian State. This narrative it is reproduced almost uncritically by the educational system, by public organizations, political parties, etc. This shows that we, as a society, are not yet ready to take a sober look at our relations with Russia,” he said in the program “Visible and Invisible: Counterpropaganda ” the historian and ethnologist Dr. Evlogi Stanchev. Thus he commented on the European Parliament’s intention today, at its last meeting, to adopt a resolution on Russian interference in this year’s European elections.
The presenter and the guest agreed that very well-organized and high-tech propaganda networks, through very psychologically well-thought-out pro-Russian “supports”, will try to influence the independent election of the Bulgarians. There is a risk of getting a vote predetermined by the hybrid Russian propaganda that is flooding us from everywhere. That is why the European Parliament as an institution is already thinking about a special European Commissioner to monitor foreign interference in the countries of the community and to take concrete measures. “On hearing about such a commissar, our opponents will immediately talk about interference in the internal affairs of countries and even repression against democracy. The same democracy that they otherwise want to abolish. This is ridiculous. Russian propagandists are not only at war against humanity when publicly support Russia’s war against Ukraine, they are fighting against the facts. They could not win an open argument because they cannot go outside the framework of propaganda that has been outlined for them. When faced with a clear, factually supported thesis, they have nothing to say”, the guest is convinced.
Dr. Evlogi Stanchev comments on the paradoxical convergence in the theses of the extreme right and the extreme left regarding the European Union. When it comes to helping Russia, supposedly antagonistic parties interact and even consult on their election platforms. “It shows that these two extremes are ideologically depersonalized, they serve as a populist extension and embodiment of Putin’s propaganda, which can be equally well received by people of far-left and far-right persuasions. This is called “the theory of the horseshoe” – the two extremes at one point converge like a horseshoe. If it were not for the hybrid Russian propaganda, we would certainly not see such a political and social landscape in Europe today, nor would we have reached the terrifying war against Ukraine. .
Russian geopolitical interests will always be used to undermine democracy and, above all, free thinking, according to Dr. Stanchev. But such thinking must be nurtured, starting from education or perhaps even from the family, spilling over into the profession, and into the entire public sphere for it to have an effect. “In my opinion, the debate about the Russian hybrid war has not subsided, and it has not started at all in Bulgarian society” – answered the host’s question.
According to Dr. Stanchev, politicians such as Volen Siderov, Kostadin Kostadinov, and similar conductors of Russian interests, are national traitors. “Questionable politicians use this definition under the road and over the road for us, democratically thinking people. Let’s think about what a “national traitor” would mean in their explanatory mode. This is a person who works against the interests of Bulgaria in favor of a foreign country, that is , against Bulgarian sovereignty. Even today, and in a historical perspective, Russia has definite and openly stated imperial ambitions towards Bulgaria. Doesn’t serving such a country constitute national treason?” – the historian asks a rhetorical question.
You can watch the entire conversation between Kalin Manolov and Dr. Evlogi Stanchev:
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Tags: Evlogi Stanchev conductors Russian interests Bulgaria national traitors
