Many of the Bulgarian seer’s predictions were never recorded, yet her name bolsters conspiracy theories and geopolitical narratives
I
n some corners of the internet, the Bulgarian mystic Baba Vanga has taken on mythical proportions. Social media and tabloids across the globe credit her with predicting the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
Last week, some headlines went further, asking: “Did she foresee the Israel-Iran war, US interference, missiles and airspace shutdowns?” An earlier article mused on her “predictions for 2026”, which purportedly included the start of world war three and humanity’s first contact with aliens.
Such claims garner clicks, but a chorus of voices from Bulgaria and beyond has warned many of the prophecies attributed to Vanga were probably never said by her. Instead, they say, the so-called “Nostradamus of the Balkans” has become a potent avatar, used for everything from sensationalised clickbait to the pushing of pro-Russian narratives.
