Why a satirical play on Putin is creating waves in pro-Kremlin Bulgaria

In Bulgaria, a nation historically close to Russia, a highly praised satirical play about President Vladimir Putin and his associates facing a war crimes tribunal is making headlines. Ukrainian playwright Sasha Denisova’s “The Hague” tells the tale of an orphaned adolescent from Mariupol who fantasises about how Russia’s top brass would be held accountable for its catastrophic war in Ukraine. Celebrated guest director Galin Stoev modified the play for a Bulgarian audience, hoping to counter the Balkan nation’s pro-Kremlin mentality, after it had premiered earlier this year in Poland and the US. Actress Radena Valkanova from Bulgaria plays Putin in the drama presently playing at Sofia’s National Theatre. She wears a stylish black suit and red shoes for the role. Denisova wrote the scene just before the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin due to the alleged unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children. “If we can’t watch the Hague trial in real life, let’s watch it in the theatre,” Denisova remarked. Bulgaria, a member of the EU and NATO, has a deep historical relationship with Russia, and many of its people still harbour nostalgia for the Soviet Union and the Russian Empire’s heyday. The nostalgia also alludes to Russia’s role in defending Bulgaria’s Slavic population under Ottoman domination. Research indicates that 30% of Bulgarians support Putin, even in the face of Moscow’s unrelenting aggression against Ukraine. This determination bolstered Stoev’s plans to present a “eye-opening” staging of the play in Sofia. (With agency inputs)