Key Takeaways: Bulgaria has become the eurozone's 21st member, a move celebrated in Brussels but seen as a strategic defeat for Moscow. The adoption followed years of Russian-linked disinformation campaigns and political interference aimed at blocking the move. Despite strong opposition, pro-European political forces in Bulgaria secured the country's deeper integration into the EU project.
On January 1, Bulgaria gave up its 145-year-old national currency, the lev, and adopted the euro. While celebrated in Sofia and Brussels as a milestone for European integration, the move carries a deeper geopolitical significance: it is a clear strategic blow to the Kremlin.
For years, Russia worked to prevent this outcome, viewing Bulgaria's deeper EU integration as a direct threat to its influence. The successful currency switch exposes the limits of Moscow's hybrid tactics and narrows its remaining leverage in the country.
A Contested Sphere of Influence
Russia has long treated Bulgaria as contested ground, leveraging historical, cultural, and economic ties to keep it within its perceived sphere of influence. This includes influence through the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and the legacy of Bulgaria's past as Moscow's staunchest European ally.
From the Kremlin's perspective, eurozone enlargement is far from a neutral economic process. It constrains Russia's ability to:
- Exploit bilateral dependencies.
- Apply selective pressure on individual EU states.
- Cultivate divisions within the bloc.
Adopting the euro ties Bulgaria more closely to other member states economically and politically, reducing opportunities for external manipulation.
A Stalled and Contested Path
Bulgaria's journey to the euro was far from smooth. It entered the mandatory transition phase alongside Croatia in 2020, but its path quickly diverged. While Croatia adopted the euro in 2023, Bulgaria faced repeated delays.
These postponements were not just due to technical hurdles like inflation. They were driven by a surge in political and public resistance, actively fueled by Russian-linked influence operations and domestic proxy actors.
The Kremlin's Playbook of Interference
In the lead-up to the adoption, Moscow deployed a familiar toolkit to sow doubt and division.
1. Disinformation Campaigns: Russian-linked actors spent tens of millions on propaganda. Social media and sympathetic media outlets spread false claims, including that the euro would:
- Trigger runaway inflation.
- Lead to the confiscation of citizens' savings.
- Strip Bulgaria of its national identity.
A late 2025 poll showed a plurality of Bulgarians (49%) opposed to the common currency.
2. Domestic Political Amplification: The openly pro-Russian, far-right Revival party became the most visible domestic opponent. With a cooperation agreement with Putin's United Russia party, it:
- Organized anti-euro protests, some featuring Russian flags.
- Stormed the EU mission in Sofia in February 2025.
- Pushed conspiracy theories about Brussels seizing savings for military projects.
3. Institutional Erosion: These efforts aimed to deepen public cynicism, polarize society, and weaken trust in democratic institutions. Bulgaria's chronic political instability—with seven snap elections in four years—made it particularly vulnerable to this strategy.
A Pro-European Victory
Despite sustained pressure, Bulgaria's pro-European parliamentary majority ultimately delivered. Successive governments completed the necessary legal and technical steps, demonstrating that hybrid interference does not inevitably determine outcomes when political will exists.
Key institutions withstood attempts to derail the process, securing Bulgaria's place in the eurozone.
The Struggle Continues
This is unlikely to mark the end of Russian efforts. The Kremlin's focus may intensify, especially with another snap election expected later this year. Pro-Russian actors will seek to exploit any short-term transition difficulties—like price adjustments or public confusion—to validate their warnings and blame the EU.
Bulgaria's euro adoption is now a strategic test. Its success in strengthening public confidence in Europe will depend on how effectively the government and EU institutions manage the transition and communicate its benefits.
For now, January 1 stands as a clear signal: the EU's gravitational pull remains formidable, and Moscow's campaign to divide the bloc has suffered a significant setback.