On March 22, 2022, the Political Science Institute, together with Plovdiv University “Paisii Hilendarski,” held a large-scale round table devoted to the ongoing conflict. The event brought together leading experts and researchers to analyze, in real time, the dynamics of the war and its repercussions in Europe.
Main areas of discussion:
Strategic context: Implications for European security and the reshaping of NATO’s architecture.
Black Sea security: The significance of the Montreux Convention in the context of Russian ambitions in the region.
Ideology and disinformation: A critical look at the doctrines of a “resurgent empire” and the myths used as a pretext for the aggression.
Participants and topics of their presentations:
Prof. Rumen Kanchev: The war and its consequences for European security.
Assoc. Prof. Velizar Shalamanov: NATO’s response after the annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Antoni Gerasimov: Security in the Black Sea and the rise of Russia through the lens of the Montreux Convention.
Dzhansu Danadzhieva: A local conflict or part of the doctrine of a resurgent empire?
Prof. Nikolay Nikolov: The specific risks to Bulgaria’s national security.
Assoc. Prof. Plamen Ralchev: Geopolitical revanchism and reputational damage to the Russian Federation.
Assoc. Prof. Momchil Doychev: The war against Ukraine as a clash with European values.
Dr. Sergey Petrov – Aradzhioni: “Denazification” as a motive for military aggression – a legitimate reason or a myth?
Vladimir Slavenski: A historical overview of international relations (1648–2022) and Russia’s “last battle.”
Significance of the forum
The event was organized immediately after the start of the invasion and became one of the first academic platforms in Bulgaria to offer such a detailed analysis. The success of the forum led to follow-up discussions in the same format later in the year.
