MULTI-media reporter Viktoria Yordanova lived in Bulgaria for more than 20 years, and decided to pursue a career in journalism in the UK driven by her passion to always speak the truth.
She said: “My country ranks last in Europe for freedom of expression and journalists are often subject to harassment, violence and intimidation. And as if the battle on this front is not fierce enough, their work is constantly undermined by fake news.
"The Russian invasion of Ukraine was just the latest event to spark a wave of misinformation in my country.”
Here is her insight on how media operates in Bulgaria and how history can sometimes blur your perspective.
“I don’t need a ride, I need ammunition,” said Ukrainian president Zelensky as he turned down the offer to flee his country after the Russian invasion.
His powerful words caught the attention of the world and he quickly became the prime example of bravery, stoicism and leadership.
But the war in Ukraine sparked such a huge wave of misinformation in some Balkan countries that even the greatest leaders of the 21th century could become villains.
Bulgaria, one of the oldest counties in Europe founded in 681, has always been the main hub of misinformation.
Reporters Without Borders ranked Bulgaria 112th globally (out of 180 countries) for freedom of expression, calling it “the black sheep of the European Union”.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has been dividing opinions mainly due to Bulgaria’s historical ties with Russia, but fake news is rife with nothing being done about it.
The truth is, fear (and love) for Russia have been nurtured for years - Bulgaria was under a communist regime between 1944 and 1989.
Go back further to 1878 and Bulgaria used the Russian-Turkish war to claim back its independence after five centuries under the rule of the Ottoman Empire.
So standing up against Russia now and admitting innocent lives are being taken away is what some Bulgarians see as treachery.
Pictures showing “kind-hearted Russians taking care of fallen Ukrainian troops” are constantly being shared by members of the public.
Images which UK media outlets use to showcase the atrocity of war circulate Bulgarian Facebook pages suggesting they never took place or were taken back during previous conflicts.
The fact that most of the posts published have Bulgarian captions makes it even harder for Facebook to flag them as false information.
Kostadin Kostadinov, leader of the pro-Russian far-right party Vazrazhdane (Revival) even said “there is no military action” in Odessa, and he did not understand why the government had evacuated Bulgarian diplomats from the beseiged town.
Prime Minister Kiril Petkov then told him “to be a man and go to Ukraine if there is no military action”.
Everyone hopes the war will end soon. But the war of misinformation in Bulgaria only seems to be starting.
Fake news could be the last nail in the coffin of the once mighty country.
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