War in Ukraine reverberated in Bulgaria to raise calls for boycott of the National Day - traditionally celebrated on March 3 with military parades, official guests, laying of wreaths and paying tribute to the Russian Liberation Army. On that date in 1878 was signed the Treaty of San Stefano for the termination of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877 - 1878, which marked the liberation of Bulgaria from Ottoman rule.

But in light of what happened in Ukraine, many think now is the right moment to change the date and the occasion of Bulgaria's national holiday.

• On September 6, 1885, Bulgaria became a united state again

Outspoken advocate for change is Ivaylo Dichev, professor of cultural anthropology at Sofia University, who believes that Bulgarians suffer from a national complex of gratitude to Russia.

"Our National holiday is a good example for that complex: there is no such country that celebrates as a national day an event in which it itself has not participated!

On March 3 the Treaty of San Stefano was signed between two empires without the involvement of a single Bulgarian"- pointed out prof. Ivaylo Dichev adding that it was high time Bulgarians to shake off the influence of Russia and start "forging our own destiny". And more:

"We’ve seen saw how this whole Grandpa Ivan "liberation" works: Putin announced that he needed to fix a historical mistake and invaded Ukraine. His arguments - Ukraine was a fake country that had actually been part of Russia for a long time. No point arguing here that Kyivan Rus' is older than Russia.

On top of all, this arrogant position of Russia is being presented as liberationist in order to occupy the country.

As a result of this same position, we Bulgarians were kept for 45 years in a humiliating state of limited sovereignty", says Professor Dichev.

According to him, the adoption of the Tarnovo Constitution on April 16, 1879, when the free and independent Bulgarian state was established, should be declared a national holiday. Ivaylo Dichev also commented on the strong historical, cultural and spiritual ties between the Russian and Bulgarian people.

"Russian intellectuals have always been opponents to Russian autocracy, starting with the Decembrist Revolt. And if we have to learn from anyone, of course it is from Russian dissidents, men of culture, artists and scientists. But look at how the first thing Putin did before he started this aggression was to shut down Memorial, a human rights organization dedicated to the memory of the victims of communism, founded by academician Andrei Sakharov"- says prof. Prof. Dichev.

It is time for Bulgarians to start thinking of Russian culture not in terms of the Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Grandpa Ivan, but as a culture in which the battle for modernisation and democracy is ongoing. It is time to distance from the Russian oppressive regimes in different eras. "In this sense, I would like to boycott March 3 as a national holiday," said Prof. He added:

"It is not about being ungrateful to the soldiers who fought against the Ottoman Empire for our freedom - and they were not only Russians, among them there were Ukrainians, Romanians, Finns, etc. It is about choosing our Bulgarian holiday that is symbolic to our independence as a nation.

And I very much hope that, in the context of the war in Ukraine, a gesture of distinction and solidarity will be made. The initiative of the Sofia Municipality to dismantle the monument of the Soviet Army in Sofia is a good step in this direction," said in conclusion Prof. Dichev.

• Citizens protest in front of the Monument to the Soviet Army in Sofia.

English: Elizabeth Radkova