Bulgarian Umbrella

     A "Bulgarian Umbrella" is an umbrella with a hidden pneumatic mechanism that injects a small pellet containing the poison ricin. It is alleged that such an umbrella was used to assassinate the Bulgarian dissident, writer Georgi Markov. It was on September 7, 1978, on the birthday of the Bulgarian Chairman of the State Council Todor Zhivkov, who was often the subject of Georgi Markov's criticism. It happened on Waterloo Bridge in London, and Georgi Markov died three days later. It is also alleged that the "Bulgarian Umbrella" was used in the failed assassination attempt on the Bulgarian dissident journalist Vladimir Kostov in the same year in the Paris Metro. The poison used in both cases was ricin. Both assassination attempts were organized by the Bulgarian secret services of the Cold War era, with the help of the KGB. This is what is believed.

     Georgi Markov told his colleagues that he remembered being pricked in the leg while waiting at the bus stop on Waterloo Bridge on his way to work that day. When he turned to see who it was, he noticed a stranger picking up an umbrella from the ground. This was the beginning of the legend of the "Bulgarian Umbrella". It is unlikely that the death was the result of its use as a murder weapon. The story of Georgi Markov's murder has spread throughout Europe.

     It is believed that the killer used the tip of an umbrella to inject a ricin capsule into Markov's body. And some believe that the killer used the umbrella not as a weapon, but as a distraction. The real weapon was an injection device, similar to a pen.

     And yet, there are still people who will tell you that the whole story of Georgi Markov's murder is a Cold War propaganda piece designed to portray communism in a negative light. No matter how we look at it... Georgi Markov's voice was silenced.

     The story "Bulgarian Umbrella" may turn out to be one of the greatest stories of the Cold War.

     This is the spirit of Georgi Markov, telling us all to seek the revelation of the truth beyond the myths.

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