Hristo Nikolov Lukov (; 6 January 1887 in

Varna Varna may refer to: Places Europe *Varna, Bulgaria, a city ** Varna Province ** Varna Municipality ** Gulf of Varna ** Lake Varna **Varna Necropolis * Vahrn, or Varna, a municipality in Italy * Varna (Šabac), a village in Serbia Asia * Var ...

– 13 February 1943 in

Sofia Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...

) was a

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

lieutenant-general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank 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 battlefield, who was normall ...

, politician, and Minister of War, who led the nationalistic

Union of Bulgarian National Legions The Union of Bulgarian National Legions (UBNL) ( (СБНЛ); ''Sayuz na Balgarskite Natsionalni Legioni'' (''SBNL'')), until 1935 the Union of the National Youth Legions (UNYL); Съюз на Младежките Национални Легион� ...

(UBNL), an organisation largely supportive of

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

ideology. He 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 or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

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 ( ) is a city in central northern Bulgaria, the Local government, 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 international ca ...

Interwar period

During the

interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...

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 A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

, 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 (, ) 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 the Nazi Party. The two laws were the Law ...

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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

he was a key supporter of the

Axis An axis (: axes) may refer to: Mathematics *A specific line (often a directed line) that plays an important role in some contexts. In particular: ** Coordinate axis of a coordinate system *** ''x''-axis, ''y''-axis, ''z''-axis, common names ...

powers, particularly

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

. This was largely due to his close relations with the

Third Reich Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...

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 or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...

ideas in Bulgaria.

Death

Lukov was shot dead by Communist partisans on 13 February 1943 in Sofia. According to the book ''In the Name of the People'', he was ambushed by two 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".

Awards and decorations

* Order of Bravery, 4th degree, first and second class * Order of St Alexander, 3rd class without swords and 4th class with swords * Order of Military Merit, 1st class *

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...

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 Bulgarian military personnel Defence ministers of Bulgaria Assassinated Nazis Politicians assassinated in the 1940s Assassinated government ministers in Europe Military personnel from Varna, Bulgaria