Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Bulgaria and Romania of contributing to the tensions that led to the war in Ukraine, Romanian television station Digi 24 reported.

Putin's statement was made in the propaganda documentary "Russia. The Kremlin. Putin. 25 Years," broadcast by Russian state television channel Rossiya-1.

The documentary shows archive footage of a speech by Putin, which was also attended by Angela Merkel.

"They are deploying their forces on our state borders. In Bulgaria and Romania, so-called light American forward bases are appearing, one in each country. And we have every right to ask openly: against whom is this expansion being carried out?" said the Russian president.

"This is the message I wanted to convey to our partners and colleagues, in the hope that they would hear us and correct their attitude towards Russia. But, unfortunately, they did not listen to us. That is, they heard, but did not respond appropriately. Ultimately, this led to today's tragic events in Ukraine," Putin said.

"Russia. The Kremlin. Putin. 25 Years" is a 90-minute documentary film made by propagandist Pavel Zarubin, featuring a series of interviews recorded in the spring of 2025, which presents Vladimir Putin's "achievements" during his time in office.

In the film, Putin defends Russia's annexation of Crimea and justifies the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, attacks "Western values," ponders who could replace him one day, and says he "hopes" he will never have to use nuclear weapons. | BGNES