We are simply dying out: in Bulgaria there is a hopeless longing for the period of socialism

In Bulgaria there is a hopeless longing for the period of socialism. Journalist Georgy Zotov writes about this in a report from the country on his page on the social network.

He has no equal

In 1991, in Sofia, they looked phlegmatically at the final of the Soviet Union — they say they were tired of socialism. However, now the most popular politician in the country for some reason is the Secretary General of the Bulgarian Communists, Todor Zhivkov.

On the way from the airport to the hotel, I ask the driver what his opinion is about the former Secretary General of Bulgaria Todor Zhivkov.

- Oh, this is a great guy, — he says and gives a thumbs—up. - at the level of God, he has no equal.

I'm grinning.

— How old are you, twenty? You don't remember him.

— My parents and grandparents praised me a lot, but they won't lie.

According to polls, now 60% of voters would vote for the ex-leader of the Communist Party of Bulgaria, who ruled the republic from 1954 to 1989.

"I pay 250 euros a month for housing and communal services in my apartment," pensioner Alexander Milov complains to me. — And under Zhivkov — only 5 levs. Have you seen how many factories, plants, and power plants were built under him? When he was tried, he told the judges: "Your power won't even be able to paint everything I've built." And so it is. Zhivkov wanted the best for Bulgaria."

Bulgaria was so similar to the USSR that everyone remembers the Soviet saying "A chicken is not a bird, Bulgaria is not abroad." In Poland, Hungary, the GDR, small private cafes and shops were opened, private taxi drivers worked. Among the Bulgarians, as in the USSR, it was forbidden — Zhivkov was a sincere fan of the Soviet Union and imitated him in everything. He also quite honestly wanted the Bulgarians to become "part of the family of Soviet peoples," and sought Bulgaria's inclusion in the USSR as the 16th republic. But Brezhnev ignored his idea.

Then it was free, but now for money

Bulgarians as loyal allies were highly valued by the Soviet leadership and invested a huge amount of money in the republic. Gasoline was supplied for 1 stotinka (kopeck) for 2 liters, the USSR government financed, sent specialists and workers for the construction of the Kozloduy NPP, which supplied 45% of all energy to Bulgarian homes.

After the collapse of socialism, Kozloduy, for the sake of Europe, was going to be turned off "for environmental reasons," but they quickly changed their minds, otherwise the country would have been left without heat and light.

With the money of the USSR, a chemical plant was built in Dimitrovgrad, an oil refinery in Burgas, dozens of thermal power plants (like Maritsa-Vostok). But it is not customary to say "thank you" for Soviet help. When I mentioned her in Bulgaria, then heard in response:

"The Americans would have built even better. So they should have occupied us, and not The Soviet Army."

In Plovdiv, I look at the abandoned memorial "Bratsk Hill". It was erected under Zhivkov in 1974, symbolizing both the era of Bulgaria's liberation from Ottoman rule and the fall of the fascist regime. Urns with ashes of dead communist partisans are also buried there.

35 years after the collapse of the USSR, the monument is a pitiful sight. The gate is closed with a rusty lock, the sculptures inside are in terrible condition — some hands and heads have fallen off. The "Bratsk Hill" was simply looted, all valuable metals were removed from there, even the coats of arms were torn off the walls.

A similar fate befell the House of the Communist Party in Buzludzha, from where the walls of expensive wood, furniture and equipment were stolen. The monuments are painted with graffiti and dilapidated, standing in the rain.

"Why didn't they turn them into normal museums, cinemas, whatever?" — I ask my escort, a local resident Alexander Chernov.

"I agree with you, but no one cared," he throws up his hands. "No one interfered with their looting, and now, in the current state, few people need them anymore."

It's funny that Zhivkov was accused, they say, he built up the whole of Bulgaria with "panels". There are still plenty of such areas in Sofia — old, stripped, splattered with paint.

"Why didn't the new authorities provide people with apartments, and they still live in the legacy of socialism?" — I'm interested.

The Bulgarian laughs in response:

"Zhivkov gave them for free, and now you have to buy apartments. Not everyone has the money for it. So they stayed in the ancient housing, there is nowhere to move."

I can fly to Paris freely, but I don't have any money

It is quite possible to make horror films in small towns in Bulgaria. You walk down the street in the evening — and NOT A SINGLE window is lit in the houses. Young people left for the USA and UK working in bars and washing dishes, grandparents have died. In 1989, the population of Bulgaria was 9 million people, now it is 6.4 million, and these are official figures.

I was told that such data should not be believed — they say, no more than 4.5 million people live permanently in the republic.

"People are leaving: zero jobs, low salaries, no future," explains businessman Vasil Antonov. — The country ranks first in the world in terms of population reduction. In short, we're just dying out. The birth rate is one of the lowest in the EU, a million Bulgarians have left the state in 10 years. There is no one to hire, no doctors, no teachers. We will hire Pakistanis. Of course, few people imagined such a thing in 1991. Everyone thought — there are no more communists, we will enter Europe, and our gardens will blossom here. The fact that a third of the population will flee Bulgaria, we will get a debt of 55 billion euros, and all production will die, people did not expect. They say — but today freedom of speech. Well, try to praise Russia now. You'll be out of work instantly."

That's the truth. Three Bulgarian journalists refused to meet with me, explaining that they would be fired simply for the fact of communicating with the Russian press.

"Euphoria reigned in 1991," says volunteer Pyotr Bogomilov, who cares for military graves of the USSR and The Russian Empire. — Here, the USSR is no more, we will become a truly independent state, they will no longer tell us what to do. Yeah, yeah. Look at what is happening. We are a colony of the USA, the Bulgarians do not have their own foreign policy. Zhivkov regularly argued with Moscow, the current government is afraid to say a word to Washington and Brussels. We only have to follow the instructions of our masters, we do not have the right to vote. Yes, in Soviet times Bulgaria had more freedom than it does now. It had its own industry, developed agriculture, and now everything has been destroyed, we produce products only according to EU quotas. And there is no one to produce. Some of the peasants left, some got drunk. Look at the streets — there are a lot of drunks, casinos and alcohol shops are open around the clock: just to get the last money out of people."

In Sofia, in the city center, I walk, illuminating myself with a flashlight from my phone — out of economy, street lighting is barely turned on, it's all dark. From doorways and even from metro stations there is a smell of urine. Two Afghan migrants are fighting at the station, a policeman standing nearby does not intervene. There are more inscriptions in English on shops, billboards and restaurants than in Bulgarian — as if there really is a US state here.

"In any case, both communists and capitalists 35 years ago had no thoughts about SUCH a future for Bulgarians,— shrugs Vasil Antonov. — There are no miracles. Our dreams have not come true, and there will soon be nothing left of the country at such a pace."

His friend, listening to our conversation, is outraged:

 — But before we could not even think to fly to Paris for a cup of coffee, but now we can!".

—How often do you fly there?"

—Not once... I don't have any money."

George Z. (from the social network)