The Bulgarian Culture Centre “Vancho Mihailov” came out with a statement in relation to the numerous reactions in the country after its official opening this Saturday in Bitola, in attendance of high state officials from Bulgaria, including PM Kiril Petkov, Vice-President Iliana Iotova and FM Teodora Genchovska. “Just like Russian President Vladimir Putin claims the victims of his military aggression in Ukraine are nothing but mere fascists, the same was done to our people by the Yugoslavian regime. The way Putin created the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk and Donbas, is the same way that Josip Broz – Tito created People’s Republic of Macedonia on the territory they occupied from our motherland. The opening of this centre revived the shadows of the past indeed, but of those loyal to the communist regime of Yugoslavia and Josip Broz – Tito, those who prosecuted thousands Macedonian patriot only because they were neither afraid nor ashamed of their Bulgarian origins and heritage. The entire storm of negative comments was created so that it overshadows the hundreds of Bulgarians living in North Macedonia that came to attend the opening of this centre and pay their respects to Vancho Mihailov, the one that continued the struggles of Goce Delcev, Dame Gruev and Todor Aleksandrov,” writes the reaction of the Bulgarian Culture Centre.