Hristo Nikolov Lukov ( bg, Христо Николов Луков; 6 January 1887 in Varna – 13 February 1943 in

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and h ...

) was a

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

lieutenant-general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

, politician, and Minister of War, who led the nationalistic Union of Bulgarian National Legions (UBNL), an organisation largely supportive of

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

ideology. Lukov was assassinated in 1943 by two members of the Bulgarian resistance movement, Violeta Yakova and Ivan Burudzhiev.

Military and political career

First World War

Hristo Nikolov Lukov was promoted during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

to the rank of a major and a commander of an artillery battalion. Abroad he is incorrectly thought to be the commander of the 13th Infantry division during World War I. In fact, that was major-general Hristo Tsonev Lukov, a native of

Gabrovo Gabrovo ( bg, Габрово ) is a town in central northern Bulgaria, the administrative centre of Gabrovo Province. It is situated at the foot of the central Balkan Mountains, in the valley of the Yantra River, and is known as an internat ...

Interwar period

During the

interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the First World War to the beginning of the Second World War. The interwar period was relative ...

Hristo Nikolov Lukov became the commander of the Army School of Artillery, of the Training Section of the General Staff's Artillery Inspection, and of the 2nd and 3rd Infantry divisions. Between 1935–1938 Lukov served as Minister of War, in which position he created close ties to high-ranking Nazi officials. Robert Singer, ''Bulgaria must stop this neo-Nazi Lukov march'', EUobserver, 1 February 201

quote: "Lukov was a top Bulgarian military and political figure who led the ultra-nationalist Union of Bulgarian National Legions from the 1930s until his assassination in 1943. He served as minister of war from 1935-1938, during which he fostered close ties with senior Nazi officials in Germany; after retiring, he remained highly influential and strongly advocated for the Bulgarian Law for the Protection of the Nation, modelled on the infamous 1935

Nuremberg Laws The Nuremberg Laws (german: link=no, Nürnberger Gesetze, ) were antisemitic and racist laws that were enacted in Nazi Germany on 15 September 1935, at a special meeting of the Reichstag convened during the annual Nuremberg Rally of ...

in Germany that stripped Jews of their civic rights."

Second World War

During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

he was a key supporter of the Axis powers, particularly

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

. This was largely due to his close relations with the

Third Reich Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

Miller, L. (1975). ''Bulgaria during the Second World War.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, pp. 73-5. Chary, F. B. (1972). ''The Bulgarian Jews and the Final Solution, 1940-1944.'' London: University of Pittsburgh Press, pp. 8-9. Chary, F. B. (2011). The history of Bulgaria. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, pp. 81-2. and his activities as leader of UBNL. Lukov was considered one of the most prominent advocates of

antisemitic Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Ant ...

ideas in Bulgaria.

Death

Lukov was assassinated by Communist partisans on 13 February 1943 in Sofia. According to the book "In the name of the people", he was ambushed by two Jewish resistance fighters in front of his apartment in Sofia. Although struck by one bullet, he fought back one of the partisans, Ivan Burudzhiev, but the second one, Violeta Yakova, fired two more shots and killed him.

'Lukov March'

From 2003 to 2019, the far-right Bulgarian National Union hosted an annual 'Lukov March' to commemorate “fallen heroes of Bulgaria” with a torch march, taking place in February in Sofia. It persistently caused controversy and was subject to multiple court bans. In 2020, the Supreme Administrative Court upheld a ban by the Sofia municipality so that the evening procession was cancelled. Less than 200 supporters of Lukov still gathered for the laying of wreaths at the house where Lukov was killed. Over one hundred people gathered for a counter-protest in central Sofia earlier in the day, promoting “No Nazis on the streets”. In February 2021 the Sofia City Court declared that there are no evidences proving that General Lukov was a nazi or anti-semitic. Despite the recent ban, people continue to gather and pay respect to the memory of the General as the march was progressively growing during the years.

Awards and decorations

* Order of Bravery, 4th degree, first and second class *

Order of St Alexander The Order of St Alexander ( bg, Орден "Свети Александър") was the second highest Bulgarian order during the Kingdom of Bulgaria. It was established by Knyaz Alexander I and named after his patron saint (Alexander Nevsky). ...

, 3rd class without swords and 4th class with swords * Order of Military Merit, 1st class *

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia es ...

of 1939, 2nd class (Germany)

Sources

* '' Biographical Dictionary of the Extreme Right Since 1890'' edited by Philip Rees, 1991,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lukov, Hristo Nikolov 1887 births 1943 deaths Politicians from Varna, Bulgaria Bulgarian fascists Bulgarian generals Bulgarian anti-communists Grand Crosses of the Order of Military Merit (Bulgaria) Recipients of the Order of Bravery, 4th class Recipients of the Iron Cross (1939), 2nd class Bulgarian military personnel of the Balkan Wars Bulgarian military personnel of World War I Bulgarian collaborators with Nazi Germany People murdered in Bulgaria Assassinated Bulgarian politicians 20th-century Bulgarian politicians Assassinated military personnel Defence ministers of Bulgaria