Parliament divisions deepened over Bulgaria’s stance on the latest EU sanctions package against Russia, as the debate over the possible inclusion of Russian Patriarch Kirill moved beyond religion and into questions of national interest and geopolitical alignment.
Opposition party GERB criticized the government’s approach, arguing that the issue is being misframed. From the parliamentary rostrum, Daniel Mitov said no sanctions target the Orthodox faith or the Russian Orthodox Church as an institution. In his words, “Nobody is sanctioning the Orthodox faith, nobody is sanctioning the Russian Orthodox Church as a religious institution.” He stressed that the real issue is the role of Patriarch Kirill in supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine, adding that when a religious figure becomes part of a geopolitical conflict, he inevitably becomes subject to political assessment.
Mitov also rejected arguments linking current policy to historical gratitude toward Russia. “Bulgaria remembers its history… but history is memory. History is not an instruction for foreign policy,” he said, insisting that past events cannot determine present-day strategic choices. According to him, protecting Patriarch Kirill does not strengthen Bulgaria’s security or influence, but instead risks signaling support for Russian propaganda at a time when the EU is trying to limit such influence.
