Island of Castaways: Traumatic Histories Wash Ashore on Gokceada
The paths of a street-vendor from Kandahar, an elderly couple from Bulgaria, and a Greek tech worker and a tattooist converge on an Aegean holiday island with a troubled past.…
Bulgaria’s Eighth Election in Five Years: Shake-Up or More of the Same?
The convincing victory of Rumen Radev’s Progressive Bulgaria alliance should offer the opportunity for stable government after years of turmoil - but little is known about which political direction it…
Russian Despatch: Looking for a New Orban in the Balkans
Moscow has lost its main ally inside the EU with the defeat of Hungary’s Viktor Orban. Can the victory of Bulgaria’s Rumen Radev provide the Kremlin with a new disruptor…
‘A New Orban’? Bulgarian Ex-President Eyes Big General Election Win
The Progressive Bulgaria party of former Bulgarian President Rumen Radev is poised to win big in the EU member state’s eighth general election since 2021, stirring fears of a tilt…
Week in Review: Endless Elections and Pyrrhic Victories
Instead of being an arena for resolving political disputes, elections across the region increasingly seem to be producing more problems than they resolve, as our selection of Premium stories this…
Mandates after Medals: Bulgarian Sport Stars Line Up for Parliament
With public trust in politicians at rock bottom, political parties in Bulgaria are seeking celebrity stardust from the world of sport ahead of elections in April. KAYNAK: Balkan Insight
At Bulgaria’s Elections, is the EU Facing Another Digital Calamity?
The lesson of the anti-EU backlash following the annulled polls in Romania last year is that election-related social media manipulation must be identified swiftly, long before polling day in Bulgaria.…
Bulgaria’s Next Election Already Reshaping the Political Landscape
The newly-formed party of former President Rumen Radev looks set to win next month’s elections even though it has no manifesto yet - while other parties are jostling for position…
Russian Despatch: Moscow is Losing Its Energy Grip on the Balkans
In the first of his monthly despatches on Russian-Balkan relations, Maksim Samorukov assesses the impact of the sell-off of Gazprom and Lukoil’s businesses on Moscow’s interests and influence in the…
Monday Briefing from the Balkans: February 16, 2026
Catch up on the weekend’s most important developments with Balkan Insight’s digest of news from countries across the region. KAYNAK: Balkan Insight