At least two protests were expected during Russian president Vladimir Putin's visit to Bulgaria on January 17 and 18, Dnevnik daily said.

Ecologists announced online that they were preparing mass campaigns, motivated by the fact that Russian companies were behind the construction projects in the Rila mountain, such as the ski resort in Panichishte. For now, however, the details were kept secret so the authorities would not be informed.

Days ago the Association for Freedom of Speech “Anna Politkovskaya” also called for a protest, Dnevnik daily reported. According to the organisation, Putin would come to Bulgaria to seal its economic dependence on Russia. On the website of the association there was a petition under the heading “Putin – persona non grata in Bulgaria” which appealed to citizens to reject the visit of  “the biggest Russian oligarch” to Bulgaria.

Whether the Interior Ministry and the Sofia municipality would permit the protests was still not known.

Security measures taken by the police during the visit would be considerably increased. According to unofficial information, the entire route of the Russian delegation would be secured with snipers. Additional police officers from around the country were expected to be send to Sofia. Part of Sofia's central streets would be closed during the visit, Dnevnik daily said.