Thousands of Bulgarians rallied on May 31 to protest against the planned euro adoption ahead of the expected June 4 extraordinary convergence reports, waving Bulgarian and Russian flags and chanting ‘Freedom for the Bulgarian lev, death to the euro’.

The rally was organised by far-right pro-Russian Vazrazhdane party, which has intensified its campaign against euro adoption over the past weeks amid expectations that Sofia will get a green light to join the eurozone as of January 1, 2026.

While Vazrazhdane’s leader Kostadin Kostadinov, nicknamed 'Kostya Kopeykin', claimed that more than 100,000 people rallied across the country against euro adoption, local media reported that the number of protesters was less than 10,000 across the country.

Kostadinov called for another protest on June 4 when the convergence reports will be released, urging people to block parliament and prevent a decision on entry into the eurozone.

The protests follow an initiative by pro-Kremlin President Rumen Radev for a referendum on the euro adoption. The national assembly has rejected Radev’s proposal on constitutional grounds.

Polls show that Bulgarians are divided in their opinions whether the country should join the eurozone. According to the European Commission’s latest public opinion poll, 43% of Bulgarians support the introduction of the euro, while 50% remain opposed.

Meanwhile, Vazrazhdane has signed a cooperation agreement with President Vladimir Putin's United Russia, Kostadinov announced on Facebook. His party has pledged to work for “restoration of full-fledged Bulgarian-Russian relations”. 

“The agreement provides for the exchange of experience, ideas and political practices between the two organisations,” Kostadinov wrote.