ПРОГРАМИ
en de ru fr es sr gr al tr ro
Podcast in English
Share
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Bulgaria can claim ownership of Russian church in Sofia through the courts, acting Prosecutor General says

Photo: БГНЕС

Acting Prosecutor-General Borislav Sarafov has suggested to Regional Development Minister Andrey Tsekov that he file a lawsuit over the ownership of the Church of St Nicholas the Wonderworker in Sofia, widely known as the Russian Church, in order to have it recognised as the property of the Bulgarian state. 
A deed dated 23.07.1997 declared the Orthodox temple and the land on which it was built to be the property of the Russian Embassy. This deed was issued at the request of the Russian Ambassador on the basis of a deed of donation dated 7 November 1898 for "a vacant urban plot in the city of St. Nicholas" by the Sofia City Council. Sofia" by the Sofia Municipality to the Russian Imperial Diplomatic Agency in Bulgaria. However, an investigation by the Public Prosecutor's Office has uncovered facts that can be used to refute this ownership. These include bilateral documents from 1940 between Bulgaria and the USSR on the free use of the church building by the Bulgarian state.

The Russian church in Sofia came into the public spotlight after three priests from the temple were expelled from Bulgaria in September, accused of spying for Moscow.

Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.
Radio Bulgaria News    Acting Prosecutor-General Borislav Sarafov Andrey Tsekov lawsuit ownership Russian Church

More from category

Weather forecast: The weekend will be a scorcher

On Saturday minimum temperatures will range between 16° C. and 23° C., for Sofia 16 ° C. During the day there will be sun with a light, in the Southeastern parts to moderate wind from the East-Northeast. Daytime highs will climb some more,..

published on 8/8/25 6:35 PM

No timeline yet for remaining U.S. F-16 deliveries to Bulgaria, Defence Minister says

Bulgaria has no confirmed delivery schedule for the remaining six F-16 Block 70 fighter jets it has ordered from the United States , Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov said in a written response to MP Ivaylo Mirchev. According to the minister, the..

published on 8/8/25 5:55 PM

Bulgaria ranks among Europe's top three for healthy life expectancy – Eurostat

Bulgaria ranks third among 30 European countries for healthy life expectancy, according to 2023 data from Eurostat. On average, Bulgarians spend 68.6 years in good health, trailing only Malta and Italy. Bulgarian women rank second, with a healthy..

published on 8/8/25 5:45 PM

WEATHER
Pick city: Sofía
Partly Cloudy
Min: 17 | Max: 34
Partly Cloudy
Min: 23 | Max: 30
Clear
Min: 23 | Max: 30
Clear
Min: 17 | Max: 34
Partly Cloudy
Min: 17 | Max: 33
Clear
Min: 18 | Max: 33
Partly Cloudy
Min: 16 | Max: 32
Clear
Min: 16 | Max: 32
Partly Cloudy
Min: 21 | Max: 33
Partly Cloudy
Min: 16 | Max: 33
Clear
Min: 17 | Max: 33
Clear
Min: 18 | Max: 34
Clear
Min: 17 | Max: 33
Partly Cloudy
Min: 15 | Max: 31
Clear
Min: 20 | Max: 34
Clear
Min: 19 | Max: 34
Clear
Min: 17 | Max: 32
Clear
Min: 20 | Max: 34
Clear
Min: 17 | Max: 33
Clear
Min: 22 | Max: 32
Partly Cloudy
Min: 16 | Max: 29
Partly Cloudy
Min: 16 | Max: 31
Clear
Min: 18 | Max: 34
Clear
Min: 16 | Max: 32
Clear
Min: 20 | Max: 34
Clear
Min: 18 | Max: 33
Clear
Min: 19 | Max: 33
BULGARIA IN PICTURES
Which world-famous Bulgarian artist designed QSL cards for Radio Bulgaria?
Yasen Gyuzelev
Theodore Ushev
Christo Javacheff - Christo
Ilia Peikov
Lika Yanko

BULGARIANS ABROAD

Български English Русский Deutsch Српски Français Ελληνικά Español Shqip Türkçe Română
MOST VIEWED

Bulgaria deploys military contingent to Kosovo

A Bulgarian military contingent has departed for a peacekeeping mission in Kosovo , BNR’s Shumen correspondent reports. A total of 97 service members (90..

published on 8/7/25 6:06 PM

Forum dedicated to 45th anniversary of Atanasovsko Lake Reserve seeks solutions for preserving biodiversity

Regional Library "Peyo K. Yavorov" in Burgas is hosting the forum "Burgas - an intersection of industrial heritage, ecological..

published on 8/7/25 3:57 PM

Hot weather, clouds over the mountains, but no precipitation

On Friday, the lowest temperatures will be between 16 and 23°C; in Sofia – around 16°. It will be sunny during the day. There will be..

published on 8/7/25 7:05 PM

english@bnr.bg

+359 2 9336 661

Общи условия за използване на сайта | Политика за поверителност | Политика за "бисквитки"