18.08.2023, Sofia.
Fans of the Bulgarian soccer club Levski attacked the monument to the Soviet Army and the tent camp of the monument’s defenders in Sofia, the Bulgarian newspaper 24 Hours wrote on August 18.
According to eyewitnesses quoted by the newspaper, the attack was carried out by several dozen masked men using torches, smoke bombs, hammers, and paint cans.
Among the attackers were people with a banner reading “Dismantling”.
The attack resulted in the smashing of the slabs of the monument with the inscription “To the Soviet Liberation Army, from the grateful Bulgarian people” and the inscription “We want a Bulgarian monument” painted on top.
Later it became known about the detention of four people by the police.
In March, the Sofia authorities announced the decision to dismantle the monument and move the sculptural group of the monument to a museum.
Earlier, in July, the authorities announced their intention to erect protective fences around the monument.
Volunteers from various public and political organizations came out to protect the monument from vandals and authorities. They set up a tent camp at the foot of the monument, preventing the dismantling works.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
