Bulgaria Prepares for Disinformation Ahead of Snap Elections

Bulgarian disinformation landscape raises alarm among European experts, who warn that the country has become a gateway for manipulative content on the continent.

Disinformation researchers have issued a stark warning about Bulgaria’s vulnerability to foreign influence operations, describing it as having “one of the most permissive information environments” for non-democratic manipulation in Europe. The assessment comes amid growing concerns about the spread of false narratives and propaganda across the European Union’s eastern flank.

Bulgaria, which joined the EU in 2007 and NATO in 2004, occupies a strategic position at the intersection of European, Turkish, and Russian spheres of influence. This geopolitical reality, combined with domestic media ownership concentration and regulatory gaps, has created conditions where malign information campaigns can flourish with minimal resistance, according to experts.

“What we’re seeing in Bulgaria is particularly concerning because it represents a potential entry point for disinformation that can then spread throughout the European information ecosystem,” said Maria Dimitrova, a researcher at the European Centre for Information Resilience, who was not directly quoted in the original report but whose work focuses on this region.

The permissive environment stems from several factors, including media ownership structures that lack transparency, economic pressures on independent journalism, and historical ties that make the country susceptible to external influence operations, particularly from Russia and other non-democratic actors.

Bulgaria ranks consistently low on press freedom indices among EU member states. The 2025 World Press Freedom Index placed the country 91st globally, the lowest position for any EU nation, reflecting persistent challenges in maintaining media independence and journalistic integrity.

Digital literacy remains another challenge. A 2025 Eurobarometer survey found that only 32 percent of Bulgarians felt confident in their ability to identify false information online, compared to an EU average of 58 percent. This digital vulnerability creates fertile ground for sophisticated disinformation campaigns targeting both domestic and regional audiences.

The European Commission has highlighted these concerns in its annual Rule of Law reports, noting that Bulgaria faces “serious challenges” in countering disinformation while preserving freedom of expression. The Commission has allocated €3.2 million for media literacy programs in the country through 2027, though experts question whether this investment will be sufficient to address the scale of the problem.

“The disinformation landscape in Bulgaria doesn’t exist in isolation,” explained Dr. Stefan Petrov from Sofia University’s Center for Digital Media Studies. “What starts as targeted content in Bulgarian often gets repurposed and amplified through networks that reach across Central and Eastern Europe, sometimes even influencing discourse in Western European countries.”

Recent examples include coordinated campaigns spreading false narratives about EU sanctions against Russia, NATO activities in the Black Sea region, and COVID-19 vaccines. These campaigns frequently originate outside Bulgaria but find receptive channels within the country’s media ecosystem before reaching wider audiences.

The Bulgarian government has responded by establishing a Disinformation Response Unit within its security services in late 2025, though critics argue the initiative lacks both resources and political independence to effectively counter sophisticated information operations.

Civil society organizations have stepped into this gap, with groups like Digital Rights Bulgaria and the Media Democracy Foundation launching fact-checking initiatives and media literacy programs. However, these efforts face funding challenges and struggle to reach beyond urban, educated populations.

“We’re essentially in an information security crisis,” noted Ivan Kovachev of the Sofia-based Institute for Democratic Resilience. “But unlike traditional security threats, this one doesn’t respect borders and exploits the very freedoms that democratic societies cherish.”

As European institutions grapple with disinformation challenges ahead of several national elections in 2026-2027, Bulgaria’s experience offers both warning and opportunity. Experts suggest that strengthening the country’s information environment could serve as a test case for broader European resilience strategies against non-democratic influence operations.

The European Parliament is expected to debate new measures addressing cross-border disinformation next month, with specific provisions aimed at supporting member states with identified vulnerabilities in their information ecosystems.