- Russians in Bulgaria
Russians ( _bg. руснаци, "rusnatsi") form the third largest minority inBulgaria , numbering 15,595 according to the 2001 census, [cite web | year = 2001 | url = http://www.nsi.bg/Census/Ethnos.htm | title = Population as of 1 March 2001 divided by provinces and ethnic group | publisher = National Statistical Institute | language = Bulgarian | accessdate = 2006-07-10 ] and mostly living in the large urban centres, such asSofia ,Plovdiv ,Varna andBurgas . Although the largest wave of Russian settlers (White Guards) arrived following the events surrounding theOctober Revolution and theRussian Civil War , compact groups of Russians had been living in Bulgaria for centuries before that.Among the early Russian settlers were
Old Believer Nekrasov Cossacks , some of which founded the village of Tataritsa in then-Ottoman-ruledSouthern Dobruja (nowadays part of the village ofAydemir [cite web |url=http://www.standartnews.com/archive/2002/09/15/nedelnik/s3487_13.htm |title=Липованците не пушат, но пият като смоци |language=Bulgarian |publisher=Стандарт |date=2002-09-15 |accessdate=2007-01-15 ] inSilistra Province ) in 1674, building a church in 1750. [cite web |url=http://bgnewsroom.com/%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B8-%D0%BE%D1%82-%D0%B1%D1%8A%D0%BB%D0%B3%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%8F/n17557/%D0%B5%D1%82%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%87%D0%B5%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B5-%D1%80%D1%83%D1%81%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%86%D0%B8-%D0%BE%D1%82-%D1%81%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%BE-%D1%82%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%86%D0%B0-%D1%87%D0%B5%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%B0%D1%82-%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B6%D0%B4%D0%B5%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%BE-%D1%85%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%81%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BE |title=Етническите руснаци от село Татарица честват Рождество Христово |date=2007-01-07 |accessdate=2007-01-14 |language=Bulgarian |publisher=BG NewsRoom ] Another Russian-inhabited village in the northeast of Bulgaria is Kazashko inVarna Province , where descendants of Kuban andDon Cossacks have been living since 1905.cite web |url=http://www.samstar.ru/article/274/ |title=Болгарские липованцы |publisher=Староверы в Самаре |language=Russian |date=2005-06-16 |accessdate=2007-01-14 ] The members of these Old Believer communities are locally known asLipovans (липованци, "lipovantsi") and belong to a group also inhabitingRomania andUkraine . Their main occupation is fishing, in theDanube for the Lipovans in Tataritsa and inLake Varna for those in Kazashko. [cite web |url=http://www.standartnews.com/archive/2004/11/19/reportage/index.htm |title=Село от непушачи стана туристическа атракция |date=2006-11-19 |accessdate=2007-01-15 |language=Bulgarian |publisher=Стандарт ]Following the
Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78 , largely fought on what is today Bulgarian territory, and theLiberation of Bulgaria to which it led in 1878, a transitional Russian administration was established with Prince Alexander Mikhailovich Dondukov-Korsakov as its head.cite web |url=http://www.mfa.government.bg/history_of_Bulgaria/23.html |title=България след Освобождението 1878 г. Хронологична таблица |publisher=Министерство на външните работи на Република България |accessdate=2007-01-14 |language=Bulgarian ]Following their defeat by the Red Guards in the Russian Civil War, a large number of White Guards fled to Bulgaria (then a monarchy) seeking refuge. They initially numbered around 24cite web |url=http://www.standartnews.com/archive/2002/05/12/history/index.htm |title=Чекисти плашат Стамболийски с преврат |publisher=Standart News |date=2002-05-12 |accessdate=2007-01-14 |language=Bulgarian] –29,000,cite web |url=http://www.rfi.bg/prog/euaccent/show.shtml?indexa=no&news_NUM=727&program=euaccent&type=show |title=Европейски акценти. Малцинствата |publisher=Radio France Internationale Sofia 103.6 |language=Bulgarian |accessdate=2007-01-14 |date=2006-05-30 ] but some 4,000 received amnesty and returned to the
Soviet Union and many others were expelled underAleksandar Stamboliyski . With Bulgaria becoming part of theEastern bloc followingWorld War II , a number of Russians emigrated to the country. Today, foreign (including Russian) businessmen living in Bulgaria are eligible for Bulgarian passport under specific conditions (such as investing over $250,000 or running a business, and having a clean slate).Nowadays, Russians in Bulgaria are represented by a number of organizations, such as "Soyuz sootechestvenikov" (Union of Compatriots), the Union of Russian Citizens and the Society of White Guardsmen.
ee also
*
Demographics of Bulgaria
*Russian diaspora
*White Emigre References
*
External links
* [http://bulgaria.russkie.info/ Portal for Russians in Bulgaria] ru icon
* [http://www.russia.bg/ Russian embassy in Bulgaria] ru icon bg icon
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.