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Bulgarians celebrate Liberation Day with solemn ceremonies at Shipka Peak and central Sofia

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Hoisting of the national flag at the Monument to the Unknown Soldier
Photo: BGNES

On the 144th anniversary of the Liberation of Bulgaria in 1878, the national flag was erected with a military ritual next to the monument to the Unknown Soldier in Sofia. The ceremony was attended by Bulgaria's President and Army Commander-in-Chief Rumen Radev, Vice President Iliana Iotova, Defence Minister Dragomir Zakov, Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova, MPs, diplomats, clerics and citizens.

President Rumen Radev

In the Saint Alexander Nevsky patriarchal cathedral a memorial service was held for all those who died for Bulgaria's freedom.
In front of Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
In sub-zero temperatures, thousands of Bulgarians climbed the snow-capped Shipka peak in the central Balkan Range to pay their respects to those who fell for Bulgaria's liberation
Prime Minister Kiril Petkov and Parliamentary Speaker Nikola Minchev took part in the solemn ceremony on Shipka Peak, but were met with booing by some participants in the celebration carrying Russian flags.
Shipka Peak


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