Podcast in English
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.

More from category

Vice President Iliana Iotova visits the Bulgarians in Moldova

Vice President Iliana Iotova is visiting Taraclia, Moldova, on September 19-20. Today, she is an official guest at a ceremony to award the winners of the essay contest organized by the Bulgarian National Radio for schoolchildren..

published on 9/19/25 4:30 PM

Charges filed in Germany against crypto queen Ruja Ignatova

The prosecutor's office in Germany has filed charges against Ruja Ignatova, the head of the office in Bielefeld, Carsten Novak, said. The woman, who has Bulgarian and German citizenship, is suspected of having created a pyramid scheme..

published on 9/19/25 3:43 PM

Bulgarian Consulate in New York gathers compatriots for the Day of Bulgarian Independence

A festive cocktail on the occasion of Bulgaria's Independence Day will be held at the Consulate General of Bulgaria in New York on September 22 at 6:30 p.m. local time. Chargé d'Affaires, Stefka Yovcheva, and the Consul General..

published on 9/19/25 3:09 PM