Bulgaria Takes Legal Action to Reclaim the Russian Church Amid Ownership Dispute

The Bulgarian prosecutor's office has recommended that the state file a lawsuit to safeguard its ownership of the Sofia Church of St. Nicholas, commonly known as the Russian Church, along with the land on which it is situated. Viktor Malinov, head of the Legality Supervision Department at the Supreme Administrative Prosecutor's Office (SAP), made this announcement during a recent press briefing.

The prosecutor's office conducted an investigation that uncovered that the Bulgarian state is, in fact, the rightful owner of the church, despite a notarial deed issued in favor of Russia in 1997. This deed was created at the request of the Russian ambassador, dating back to a serf deed from November 7, 1898. The prosecutor's office scrutinized this deed in the State Archives but found no evidence supporting the transfer of rights between different state entities within the Russian Empire, ultimately leading to the Russian Federation's embassy.

The motive behind the property investigation stemmed from the expulsion of Russian priests from Bulgaria in September, based on allegations of activities against the interests of the country. Subsequently, the church was sealed off.

Notably, the inquiry yielded no evidence to suggest that the Russian or Soviet state had made substantial financial investments in the construction of the Russian Church. Additionally, there are no records of the church's actual construction, nor any indication that the Vienna Convention's prerequisites were met for obtaining consent from the relevant Bulgarian authorities for a foreign nation to acquire property in the country. Malinov acknowledged that while Bulgaria had covered two-thirds of the expenses for reconstructing the church after World War II, no documentation was found confirming that the Soviet Union had funded the remaining one-third.

As the prosecutor's office's findings lack legal implications, the plan is now for the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works to initiate a lawsuit that will formally recognize the Bulgarian state's ownership rights.

It's worth noting that the investigation did not address whether the notary who issued the notarial deed acted in good faith, as Malinov clarified in response to a question.

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