"We have focused too much on the Russo-Turkish War, but it would not have happened without the efforts of Velcho Atanasov-Djamdzhiata, Rakovski, Stefan Karadzha, Levski, Benkovski, the Gjurgovski Committee. If the Bulgarians had not shown that they were rising up, Russia would not have intervened.
This was stated to the Bulgarian National Radio by historian Prof. Ivan Ilchev, former rector of the Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", specifying: No one goes to war for the interests of another people, driven by moral reasons. This happens repeatedly in the Balkans - Serbia, Greece. Russia is waging Russian-Turkish wars not for liberation, but in fulfillment of its strategic aspirations.
"Russia has no great desire to declare this war, many historians have written about this. ... Then one factor helps a lot - public opinion. From the 1830s to the Liberation, a fundamental change occurred in the media," Ilchev added.
"As people became more literate, in the 1970s many people were already reading newspapers and public opinion was formed. This public opinion in Great Britain, which had always been an opponent of Russia in the Eastern Question until that moment, began a massive campaign in favor of the Bulgarians and the Serbs, which is known as the "Bulgarian Horrors". They published the information provided to them by the Bulgarian Exarchate, i.e. "We are again focusing on certain things, without paying attention to what led to them," he said.
Prof. Ilchev emphasized that the Bulgarian militia is 7,000 people, but the Russians did not want many Bulgarians in the army, they do not arm them: They participate much less than those who could participate. The Russians do not want other independent factors in the war, they prefer them to be.
According to the historian, there is no doubt that March 3rd is in the minds of the Bulgarians the border between freedom and unfreedom.