The embassies of Ukraine and the US to Bulgaria condemned the comments Sonya Momchilova, chairperson of the Electronic Media Council (EMC), recently made about the Bucha mass killings, saying it was propaganda.
Speaking on the “Counter-commentary” broadcast on YouTube at the start of the week, Momchilova acknowledged Russian propaganda in Bulgarian media but also said it goes “in the opposite direction”, pointing, in particular, to publications “about Putin’s illness, that he had died, about Bucha, etc.”
Her words were quickly condemned by the Ukrainian and US embassies to Bulgaria, both of whom published their positions, EURACTIV’s partner Segabg reports.
“We categorically insist that it is unacceptable to distort the facts in the context of Russia’s large-scale armed aggression against Ukraine. The international community recognised the tragedy in Bucha with the adoption of a declaration to which the Republic of Bulgaria officially joined in April 2023,” the Ukrainian embassy said.
“After the de-occupation of Bucha in the spring of 2022, international experts registered 1,400 murders (including 37 children), numerous facts of rape, torture and other war crimes. Currently, almost 11,000 war crimes are being investigated in the Kyiv region,” it added, pointing to evidence for 96,000 war crimes already having been collected.
The US embassy also criticised Momchilova’s words.
“The Kremlin’s disinformation machine is in full gear, denying that Russia has attacked civilians. When Ukrainian forces liberated the town of Bucha, they found that a massacre had taken place there. Hundreds of men, women and children were killed indiscriminately by Russian forces. These actions are part of a widespread and systematic violence campaign against civilians. Don’t be fooled by the lies,” they said.
This is not the first time Momchilova has caused a stir in Bulgaria and abroad.
Last year, she attacked journalist Maria Cheresheva for participating in the international investigation looking into the unregulated use of force and the inhumane and degrading treatment Bulgarian border authorities use against irregular migrants.
Following her comments, the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, the Association of European Journalists-Bulgaria, and Reporters Without Borders requested her resignation.
In a series of her interviews, Momchilova also disputed whether Bulgarian journalists and media should be on the side of Ukraine after Russia’s aggression on its territory.
Because of this, two other members of the Electronic Media Council – Prolet Velkova and Simona Veleva – demanded she resigns for spreading “anti-democratic propaganda” and “Kremlin strongholds” – though she and two other members of the Council – including one who, like Momchilova is from President Rumen Radev’s quota – opposed it.
On Wednesday, two days after Momchilova’s interview, the Electronic Media Council published a position that it “strongly disagrees with any suggestion of denial of the Bucha atrocities. It is about a monstrous act of torture and murder of civilians”.
(Krassen Nikolov | EURACTIV.bg)
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