Russian Ambassador Ejected From Bulgarian Gallery Amid Protesters Shouting “Murderer!”

Russian Ambassador to Bulgaria Eleonora Mitrofanova was forced to leave the “Kvadrat 500” gallery in Sofia after being confronted by protesters shouting “Murderer!” and “This is not Moscow,” Radio Free Europe Bulgaria reported on March 7.

The incident occurred on he evening of March 6 evening during the opening of an exhibition by the New York-based activist collective Guerrilla Girls.

Footage obtained by journalist Iva Rudnikova shows Mitrofanova entering one of the gallery’s halls. At first, the room remains silent, but soon, a young woman begins shouting, “This is not Moscow, this is Europe.” Mitrofanova responds in Russian before continuing through the exhibition space.

The protester, who identified herself as Natalia Todorova, followed the ambassador, repeatedly calling her a “murderer.” As Mitrofanova moved to another hall, more people joined in, chanting “This is not Moscow.”

Guerrilla Girls, an anonymous collective of feminist artists known for wearing gorilla under pseudonyms inspired by famous artists of the past, had two of its founding members, Frida Kahlo and Käthe Kollwitz, present at the event. The exhibition, titled “The Art of Being Disobedient,” was organized by the Bulgarian Fund for Women in partnership with the National Gallery / Kvadrat 500.