Supporters of a pro-Russian party threw eggs and vegetables at cars during the protest against Ursula von der Leyen’s visit to Varna

An impromptu protest by supporters of the pro-Russian and Eurosceptic Revival party took place on Tuesday outside the Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy in Varna, during European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s visit. Protesters threw eggs, fruit and vegetables at cars and called for her to leave Bulgaria, calling her an “agent of war.”

The demonstrators chanted “Varna wants peace, not war!” and criticized the policies of the European Union, as well as military support for Ukraine. The protest took place while Ursula von der Leyen was meeting with Prime Minister Rumen Radev at the academy. The discussions focused on security in the Black Sea region and repeated incidents in which Russian drones affected commercial vessels in the area.

The action echoes a similar protest organized a year ago in Sopot. At the time, Revival activists blocked access to the VMZ military plant, threw eggs and damaged an official car they believed was transporting the European Commission chief. The party supports Bulgaria’s withdrawal from NATO and opposes full European integration.