Turkstream Revelations Lift Lid On Secrecy
The missing infrastructure roadmap for gas pipeline Turkstream has been found in the correspondence of Yevgeny Zobnin - assistant to Russian politician Alexander Babakov.
The document, leaked by the Bulgarian online community of cyber security and counter disinformation experts "the elves" to Kapital, shows how Turkstream bypassed certain EU laws and gave an energy edge to Russia in Europe. The roadmap shows that the construction of Turkstream through Bulgaria - a gas pipeline costing 3 billion levs - was pre-arranged and all subsequent procedures were entirely pre-settled.
Boyko Borissov, PM when the pipe was built, claimed to have been "proud of the project" even though he never explained many details. Much outrage was caused by the mass media not publicizing the leaks and the work of journalists and the elves.
Industrial Production Declines
In the last quarter of 2023, the average wage rose by 13% compared to a year earlier, while the GDP per employee lagged behind with a growth of 3.9% at current prices, according to NSI data.
Meanwhile, industrial production reported a decline, economic activity also slowed and according to economists, the labor market is gradually stagnating.
According to Kapital's analysis, the productivity of one employee in the economy in the last three months of 2023 increased by just 0.7% on an annual basis. In comparison, the real growth in average wages was about 7.7%
30% Of Bulgarians Willing To Defend Their Country
If there is a war, 30% of Bulgarians would fight for their country, according to a Gallup survey. A total of 42% of surveyed Bulgarians would not fight for their country, and the rest of the respondents hesitated or did not know.
"Bulgarians seem to be closer in their attitudes to the Western European countries than to the Eastern ones - again, as they were ten years ago," said Gallup. In 2014, in Bulgaria, 25% answered that they would fight if the country participated in a war, and 47% declared that they would not.
Turkstream Revelations Lift Lid On Secrecy
The missing infrastructure roadmap for gas pipeline Turkstream has been found in the correspondence of Yevgeny Zobnin - assistant to Russian politician Alexander Babakov.
