[dollylambda]

> However there are lots of very pro-Russia Bulgarians (hard to explain after everything that has happened, but still..),

Here is an excerpt from wiki which explains why some in Bulgaria are still "pro-russia":

"The Western European Enlightenment in the 18th century influenced the initiation of a national awakening of Bulgaria.[63] It restored national consciousness and provided an ideological basis for the liberation struggle, resulting in the 1876 April Uprising. Up to 30,000 Bulgarians were killed as Ottoman authorities put down the rebellion. The massacres prompted the Great Powers to take action.[73] They convened the Constantinople Conference in 1876, but their decisions were rejected by the Ottomans. This allowed the Russian Empire to seek a military solution without risking confrontation with other Great Powers, as had happened in the Crimean War.[73] In 1877, Russia declared war on the Ottomans and defeated them with the help of Bulgarian rebels, particularly during the crucial Battle of Shipka Pass which secured Russian control over the main road to Constantinople"

[lotsofpulp]

I do not see why a Bulgarian today would assume Russia’s actions in 1877 have any relation to what Russia might do or be capable of in 2023.

[bluetomcat]

It's an irrational love-hate relationship which is essential to the history of the modern Bulgarian state and creates the internal political divisions between "rusophiles" and "rusophobes". As a young nation (in modern terms) that has never been through the Enlightenment, we don't have our own political and intellectual traditions, and much of politics is perceived as orbiting around a superpower, be it Russia, continental Europe, or the USA.

[gostsamo]

Your answer is only part of the truth. Though Russia had lots of welwishers in Bulgaria, the heavy indoctrination happened during the communist rule 1945-1989. Many people whose best years were during this period are still alive and many are disappointed by the failures of the post 1989 governments. The topic is complex and filled in with lots of propaganda, so I won't get into disputes, just giving additional context.

[krunck]

Agreed 100%. You'll find that sentiments towards Russia vary greatly depending on how old people are. Pro-Russia attitudes are aging out. I'm OK with that.

Now we've got a generation of youth coming to power who get their world view from social media and thus see reality objectively.

[adra]

"view from social media and thus see reality objectively."

It all seemed fair until this fragment. Nothing about social media is objectively true. The advantage of social media (hopefully) is that's you're exposed to people from a variety of cultures so that you can choose who's subjective truths to believe in. It's better than powerful single voices influencing the ignorant using mass media though.

[luckylion]

> Now we've got a generation of youth coming to power who get their world view from social media and thus see reality objectively.

That's a terrifying idea tbh.

[gostsamo]

Maybe not clear from my comment, but I'd say that many of the new generations are also disappointed by the post-communist governments, so you can't blame it all on the retirees.

[sofixa]

The thing is though, right after liberation, the Russians started shitting the bed by sending incompetent fools (did Tsarist Russia even have anything else?) to Bulgaria to rule. Then they sponsored multiple coups against the first Prince of Bulgaria who they thought was a German puppet based on his origins, without even bothering to ask him. Then they sabotaged Bulgaria's unification and defence against Serbia efforts by abandoning the army. Then after a successful (in ousting the prince, but not in anything else because again, the people running it were as incompetent as it could be) coup, he was asked to return but he thought the only way he could would be with Russia's acceptance, which the Russia didn't give. Then Russia, for some weird reason only their incompetence can explain, refused to recognise the regency council looking for a new head of state (which first went to them expecting them to nominate a Russian prince).

I could go on, but basically Russia's goodwill was spent in the first few decades of them incompetently and arrogantly bumbling around and making it extremely hard for the young optimistic nation which was really looking towards Russia as the big helpful brother and desperately needed help to survive.

Today you can also add 50 years of imposed socialism, which had its ups and downs (massive industrial, education, sport advancements) but was imposed and kept with tanks, and Russia's aggressive and imperialist foreign policy which directly results in tens of thousands of deaths. Why the fuck would anyone still think Russia is the good guys? This can only come out of blatant misunderstanding of history.

[isodev]

The thing about history is that it's never about a single event...

While Russia may have had some influence in the events at the end of the 19th century, they are also responsible for Bulgaria's abrupt transition from monarchy to a soviet country in the 1940s. Bulgaria was a soviet country until 1990… which is a very long time of persistent atrocities and brainwashing.

The “Russian occupation” of the hearts and minds of boomers who are still alive today is difficult to shake.

[bluetomcat]

> The “Russian occupation” of the hearts and minds of boomers who are still alive today is difficult to shake.

Which isn't to say that most "non-brainwashed" millennials and Gen-Z'ers are at all trying to be objective about that historical period. For them it's only prison camps, state surveillance and shortages and queues. Nothing like an accelerated industrialisation and modernisation in a few decades, transitioning from a backwards agrarian rural society to a well-educated population and reaching western-like levels of human development in the 1980s.