March 3rd: Marking 148 Years Since Bulgaria's Liberation

In a few days, we will celebrate March 3rd and 148 years since the Treaty of San Stefano. We will remember the history, we will bow our heads in a sign of respect, reverence, and memory, said the chairman of the parliamentary group of “BSP – United Left” Natalia Kiseleva.

The history of the next Russo-Turkish war is not statistics – tens of thousands of Russian soldiers died on the battlefields and slopes, so that the reborn Third Bulgarian state could resurrect for a new life, said Kiseleva.

Kiseleva told the story of one of the first volunteers to enlist in April 1877, when the war was declared – 17-year-old Dimitar Petkov from the Tulcha village of Bashkoy, Northern Dobrudja, who on August 11, 1877, participated in the battles of Shipka. In the evening, when the cartridges ran out, and the volunteers began to throw stones at the Turks, under the heavy fire of the enemy, he was sent to bring cartridges. Soon after, he returned on horseback, loaded with ammunition boxes and a shot in the left palm. Later, the Russian Emperor Alexander II visited the hospital where Dimitar was, personally spoke with him and awarded him the St. George's Cross “For Bravery,” Kiseleva pointed out.

1,000 civilians from Gabrovo also participated in the battles, the contribution of whom was witnessed by the war correspondent of the English newspaper “Daily News” Archibald Forbes to the Russian diplomat Count Nikolai Ignatiev, she noted. The participation of the volunteers was decisive for the course of the war, Kiseleva noted.

Russia has fought many wars – successful and not so much. In Russian history, the next war of 1877-78 is among the most just, we have called it the Liberation War, it ended on March 3rd in the new style. Anti-Bulgarian international factors are trying to erase its results back in Berlin in July 1878, said Natalia Kiseleva.

In recent decades, there has been a quiet, purposeful process of historical deheroization of our struggles for national liberation, sometimes more brutally, other times more quietly, but always with clear goals to attack the national self-esteem of Bulgarians, to instill in them a feeling of hopelessness, to give up the idea that we can be masters of our own destiny, commented the chairman of the parliamentary group of “BSP – United Left”.

The freedom of Bulgaria came in the battles during the Russo-Turkish Liberation War, which was fought at the will of Russia in our lands, Kiseleva pointed out. According to her, in our lands still lie the bones mainly of Russians, officers and soldiers. Therefore, let us on March 3rd, when we bow our heads before the liberators, really stay away from fear and cowardice, let us remember, because as long as Bulgaria exists, we will also celebrate March 3rd, said Natalia Kiseleva. “Long live Bulgaria!”, she concluded the declaration.