Bulgaria’s Parliament Erupts Over Holocaust Comparisons, Putin and Bandera Draw Fire

In the Bulgarian National Assembly, parliamentary groups marked the international day of remembrance for Holocaust victims, prompting sharp debates and historical comparisons. Natalia Kiselova of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) highlighted the role of the Red Army in liberating Auschwitz prisoners during World War II, while Yordanka Fandakova from GERB called for remembering the victims of fascism in a comprehensive, non-selective way.

Tensions rose during the discussion as members of WCC-DB and “Revival” clashed over interpretations of history and contemporary nationalism. Yavor Bozhankov, speaking for “We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria,” drew a direct parallel between Hitler and Putin, warning that modern supporters of nation states risk resurrecting Nazism. “Nationalism in all its forms leads to war,” he said, noting that hate speech is still present in Bulgaria’s parliament. Bozhankov explicitly linked the current conflict in Ukraine to lessons from the past, arguing that atrocities could easily be repeated if history is ignored.

Kostadin Kostadinov of “Revival” strongly rejected this comparison, accusing Bozhankov and EU federalist supporters of treason. He insisted that equating nation states with Nazism was outrageous, emphasizing that the Bulgarian national state has been a central ideal for centuries. Kostadinov also pointed to historical crimes in Ukraine, where, he argued, tens of thousands of Jews and over 150,000 Poles were killed by the followers of Stepan Bandera and Roman Shukhevych - figures now celebrated as national heroes in parts of Ukraine.

Following his remarks, Parliament Speaker Raya Nazaryan reprimanded Kostadinov for using “offensive words and defamatory expressions,” underlining the heated and sensitive nature of the debate.