On April 19, the eighth National Assembly elections were held in Bulgaria since 2021.
Moscow welcomes the statements of the future Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev on the need for a pragmatic dialogue with Russia. This was told to reporters by the press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov, Russian media reported.
“Of course, we are impressed by the words of Mr. Radev, who won the elections, and several other European leaders about their readiness to solve problems through dialogue, pragmatic dialogue with the Russian Federation,” Peskov said.
On April 19, the Bulgarian electorate produced a stunning result. Rumen Radev’s Progressive Bulgaria (PB) received 44.6% of the seats in the 52nd National Assembly, or 131 deputies. An expected victory, but not with such a stunning result, even for sociologists.
“We voted actively, we defeated apathy, but distrust of Bulgarian politics is still great and this is only the first step towards restoring the social contract. “Progressive Bulgaria” wins unequivocally. This is a victory of hope over distrust, of freedom over fear. Finally, this is a victory of morality. The people rejected the complacency and arrogance of the old parties. They did not succumb to lies and manipulation. Thank you for the trust! We will comment on everything else after the final results”, – this is what the leader of “Progressive Bulgaria” Rumen Radev wrote on Facebook.
“I thank each and every Bulgarian citizen who supported “Progressive Bulgaria”. Special thanks to the people who have been with me for almost 10 years and to my entire team. I would like to thank all the citizens who realized their responsibility and voted conscientiously, regardless of who. I also thank all our compatriots abroad who waited in line for hours and showed that they care about Bulgaria. I thank the people in the commissions and services who organized these elections and especially the bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, who made enormous efforts in the fight against the shameful phenomenon of “vote buying” for Bulgaria,” Radev also wrote.
Biographical notes: Rumen Georgiev Radev is a Bulgarian politician and military man, a Major General in the Reserve and the 5th President of the Republic of Bulgaria, who took office on 22 January 2017. During his military career, Radev, who is a pilot, reached the rank of Major General and the position of “Commander of the Air Force of the Republic of Bulgaria” (2014–2016). In the presidential elections of 2016 and those of 2021, he was successively elected President of Bulgaria. On 20 January 2026, nearly a year before the end of his term, he submitted his resignation, which was accepted by the Constitutional Court on 23 January of the same year.
Rumen Radev was born on 18 June 1963 in the city of Dimitrovgrad.
Education:
1982 – Mathematics High School – Haskovo
1982 – 1987 – Air Force Academy – Dolna Mitropolia
1992 – Squadron Officer Course, Maxwell, USA
1994 – 1996 – Command and Staff Academy – VA – “G. S. Rakovski”
2000 – Doctor of Military Sciences, field – improving the tactical training of the flight crew and simulating air combat
2002 – 2003 – Maxwell Air Force College, USA
Military career:
1987 – 1988 – Junior Pilot in the 15th Fighter Aviation Regiment – Ravnets;
1989 – 1990 – Deputy Unit Commander in the 15th Fighter Aviation Regiment – Ravnets;
1990 – 1994 – Unit Commander in the 15th Fighter Aviation Regiment – Ravnets; 1994 – 1996 – Trainee at the G.S. Rakovski Air Force Academy;
1996 – 1998 – MiG-29 Squadron Commander in the 5th Fighter Aviation Regiment – Ravnets;
1998 – 1999 – Deputy Commander for Flight Training of the 5th Fighter Aviation Regiment – Ravnets;
1999 – 2000 – Deputy Commander for Flight Training of the 3rd Fighter Aviation Regiment – Graf
Ignatievo;
2000 – 2002 – Chief of Staff of the 3rd Fighter Aviation Regiment – Graf Ignatievo;
2002 – 2003 – Trainee at the Maxwell Air Force College, Alabama, USA;
2003 – 2005 – Chief of Staff of the 3rd Airborne Division – Graf Ignatievo;
2005 – 2009 – Commander of the 3rd Airborne Division – Graf Ignatievo;
2009 – 2011 – Deputy Chief of the Air Force;
2011 – Deputy Commander of the Air Force.
Flight information:
1st Class Pilot
Flying on L-29; L-39, MiG-15; MiG-17, MiG-21; MiG-29; Over 1,400 hours flown.
Ranks:
1987 – Lieutenant
1990 – Senior Lieutenant
1994 – Captain
1997 – Major
2000 – Lieutenant Colonel
2003 – Colonel
2007 – Brigadier General
Orders and awards:
Order of Merit “For Faithful Service under the Banners” – III degree; medals and subject awards
Fluent in English, German and Russian
Married, with two children.
Photo from Meeting of President Rumen Radev in Berlin with the President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier // Source: Presidential Institution of the Republic of Bulgaria.
