Bulgarian-Russian Relations, Between Sentiment and Pragmatism - Pieńkowski, Jakub (Polski Instytut Spraw Międzynarodowych, 2019)
A series of spying scandals at the end of 2019 only seems to be worsening Bulgaria's relations with Russia. That's because cultural and historical ties evoke in Bulgarian society special sympathy for Russia and the authorities see nothing in the threats arising from the Russians' aggressive policy. They consider the country a key partner in Bulgaria's energy sector. Bulgarian-Russian cooperation may deepen the divisions in the European Union's policy toward Russia