71993 | 22 July 2025 | 14:43

Two days before her death, she received a report about financial abuses in "Cultural Heritage". Managers of the fund have been implicated in large financial abuses. When she saw the documents, she was shocked

On November 12, 1973, the daughter of Bulgaria's first party and state leader Lyudmila Zhivkova suffered a serious car accident on her way to the airport, where she was supposed to send her father Todor Zhivkov off on a visit to Poland.

 After a stay at the "Pirogov" hospital, her treatment continued for a long time in home conditions. Although she recovered and returned to work, the incident had a lasting impact on her health and mental state.

 According to her personal bodyguard Dimitar Murdzhev, during this time she began constantly seeking "herbalists and self-proclaimed healers" and refused any medical intervention. She established connections with the Rerikh family. It is known that she often consulted with Vanga, and also drank herbs at her direction.

 Taking advantage of the privileges of her father, who provides her with the necessary financial and organizational resources, in the next eight years, which is also the last in her life, Lyudmila Zhivkova organizes several large-scale campaigns, which spread Bulgaria's name all over the world. She is the initiator of the creation of the International Children's Assembly "Flag of Peace" and the related events, such as the triennial International Children's Festivals with a pacifist, cultural, and educational focus. In this regard, the park complex "The Bells" was built. This initiative is also related to her passion for the theory of the so-called "versatile personality", which leads to the creation of a specialized state-funded program in this direction.

 On the initiative of Lyudmila Zhivkova, celebrations for "1300 years of Bulgaria" were organized - a campaign aimed at presenting the communist rule, and particularly the rule of Todor Zhivkov, as the most successful period in Bulgarian history, while at the same time demonstrating the growing nationalist bias in the ideology of the regime since the 1960s. The National Palace of Culture (NPC) was built in Sofia, which was named after her until her death in 1990, and then became the National Palace of Culture.

 At the beginning of 1981, Lyudmila Zhivkova falls into a deep depression and stops going to work, with the announcement that she is on leave. According to Todor Zhivkov's personal assistant, Kostadin Chakarov, the reason for this is the revelations about the corruption scandal at the "Cultural Heritage" service. Worried about her condition, Zhivkov spends 30 days with her in Borovets, until on July 20th, she leaves without warning for Sofia.

 On July 20th at 6 PM, Lyudmila Zhivkova is found dead in the bathroom of the government residence "Boiana", where Bulgarian President Rumen Radev currently resides.

 On the same day, she left for Sofia without warning, together with her driver - Kiril Zefirov, and her bodyguard - Dimitar Murdzhev. They arrive at the "Boiana" residence at around 3 PM, and Lyudmila stays in the villa with only one maid. At 6 PM, the terrified maid called Murdzhev and the driver. The Emergency Medical Service was immediately called, but the ambulance was delayed by 1 hour due to a flat tire.

 At 2 o'clock on the night of July 21, 1981, Lyudmila Zhivkova was found dead in the bathroom of the villa. The devastated father - Todor Zhivkov - could barely comprehend what had happened: "It's hard for me to say, but I can't say whether her death was a natural result of her declining health or if there was some external interference....it's possible that I don't know everything."

 Even to this day, the versions of Lyudmila Zhivkova's death vary from suicide to murder to an unfortunate accident.

 The official position is that she suffered a sudden brain hemorrhage, which resulted in severe irreversible breathing and circulatory disorders.

 Kostadin Chakarov, adviser to Zhivkov, highlights another reason for the deteriorating condition of Lyudmila Zhivkova - she falls into depression after learning about the abuses in the "Cultural Heritage" service. Her daughter shares with him: "Everyone betrayed me, I was left with a few people." These are Svetlin Rusev, Bogomil Raynov, Alexander Lilov. She was disappointed that several of her employees were caught trying to extort bribes." The crisis occurs after she was handed a 50-page report on the abuses uncovered during a several-month investigation by the Second Main Directorate of the DS.

 Later, Zhivkova tries to put an end to the suspicions in this way: "My conclusion is shorter: Lyudmila was consumed by her work." "Everything else is just a consequence..."  

 Todor Zhivkov, although considering her death as an expected result of her previous months' severe condition, does not exclude some kind of "external interference" in his later memoirs.

 In his only media interview, Professor Sivcho Sivchev, the pathologist who performed the autopsy on her body, provides limited details about the circumstances in which the red princess passed away.

 While he is adamant in taking the secret of her death to his grave, he agrees to dispel some of the myths without going into details. The doctor explains that he did not find a stroke, as initially speculated.

 "She probably lost consciousness in the bathtub and that's where she died. There was water in her lungs," he says. When asked what is the immediate cause of her death, Sivchev is succinct: "Drowning". "Her lungs were filled with fluid and she couldn't breathe anymore. In such cases, death occurs in less than a minute," the pathologist further explains.


 What, however, led Ludmila to this condition?

 Officially, the autopsy of Ludmila Zhivkova was conducted in the morning by professors Sivcho Sivchev and Beloev without the assistance of assistants. There is no report of the examination, but the conclusion is that she died from a brain hemorrhage. However, none of her acquaintances believes that her death was natural.

 When she arrived in Sofia, Zhivkova sent her driver and her bodyguard to Government Hospital to get her medication. According to Murghev, it was for the sedative dormopan.

  Ludmila releases the manager of the villa and is left with only the chambermaid. Later she will find her body in the 'pool' - a sunken tub measuring 2 by 2 meters, about 30 cm deep.

They were supposed to leave back for Borovets around 6-7 pm. The two, along with the driver, bring her medication and wait for her in the duty room.

 At 6 pm, the only person in the villa - the chambermaid, called them on the phone and screamed, shouting that the body of Zhivkov's daughter was floating in the tub. They immediately call for an ambulance, but it's delayed by more than an hour because of a flat tire.

 Murdzhev and Hristozov take out the body and place it on the tiles in the bathroom. They check her pulse at several places, but cannot find any. "She's dead," they agree. Meanwhile, nurse Ani Mladenova arrives. 

 After some time, she confesses to Murzhev that she had found an empty package of the medicine dormopan and replaced it with a new one, from which she only took two pills.

 When the doctors arrive, they see Zhivkova's lifeless body and immediately realize that she has passed away, but they perform resuscitation in an attempt to revive her.

 "The White Bird" of Bulgarian culture dies on July 20, but her death is officially recorded at 2 am on July 21, 1981.

 Dimitar Murzhev immediately called Todor Zhivkov, who arrived at the scene instantly. The doctors who arrived in emergency told him that the situation was critical and advised him not to enter the room. He listened to them and left.

 Years after the death of Lyudmila, her secretary Ekaterina, who remained faithful to her until her last breath, dares to speak out and declare that her father has discovered the true cause of her death, but died with the big secret.

 "Lyudmila Zhivkova dies not on July 21, but on July 20. It is announced later because her death has caused panic. In order to dispel any doubts about Lyudmila's death, the archives must be opened - to publish the secret documents, if there are any, to clarify why an autopsy has not been performed and who ordered it, why even taking samples from her body was prohibited. And since samples were not taken, an exhumation should be carried out. It is likely that in her bones, there will be found remnants of the sedative that she swallowed. In other words, a professional approach should be taken. Unfortunately, until now, no politician has ordered this to happen, and it also depends on her family. That is why the versions about Ludmila's death are multiplying, and known and unknown writers seek dubious inspiration in this topic. And it remains shrouded in some mystery, which is harmful," writes Bogomil Gerasimov in his book "Diplomacy in the Zone of the Cactus," legendary Bulgarian ambassador to Mexico (1976-1982).

 Russian journalist Arkady Vaksberg believes that she may have been killed by Soviet secret services, citing the distrust she faced in the Soviet government and concerns that she may one day succeed her father at the head of the regime. Some of those close to her, such as Lyubomir Levchev, also believe that she was poisoned.

 According to another hypothesis supported by outspoken critic of Zhivkov, Peter Semerdzhiev, she committed suicide after Soviet pressure blocked her further advancement in the hierarchy of the regime.

 In the months leading up to her death, Lyudmila Zhivkova was not feeling well. However, she went on a trip - first to India and then to Mexico. In Delhi, she even had a seizure, and on the American continent, she was already so unwell that the government had to send a plane to bring her back to Sofia

 . The experience of the catastrophe in 1973 changed her radically. "She had cuts on her face. She was nearsighted and probably some eye nerve was affected as she said she could see me from above. The injury was a one-centimeter piece of her skull broken off. Her turban, which she wore as a symbol of elegance and power, did not hide anything. She fully recovered with the help of Petar Dimitrov," her personal secretary is categorical.

 After the incident, Ludmila delved into mysticism and the occult.

 In the Soviet Union, they did not approve of her interests. During her last visit to India, she was warned that the Russians had placed their own person in her inner circle. This was her bodyguard, Dimitar Murghev. On the flight back to Sofia, he was summoned by Tato's daughter and informed that he had been exposed as a KGB agent.

 Despite her declining health and her opponents in the Bulgarian Communist Party and CPSU, Ludmila Zhivkova continued to be involved in all events surrounding the celebration of the 1300th anniversary of the Bulgarian state, the "Banner of Peace" assembly, and her other ambitions to develop the cultural sector in the country.

 According to the memoirs of Todor Zhivkov, she was literally overwhelmed with work. Her children mostly grew up with nannies. Todor and his wife used to call the woman who took care of them "The Nurse", as their grandfather writes in his book.

 "I never believed that she could commit suicide because she was not the type of person to leave us. It went against her principles and beliefs," her daughter Zheni shared in an interview about her mother. "When we were told that she had passed away, I wondered why she had left us. But she was not someone who would do such a thing. She had written me a letter about our childhood quarrels: 'Do you think someone who wants to organize the "Flag of Peace" assembly for the children of the world doesn't love their own children?'."

 Ludmila Zhivkova is a remarkable figure whose place is preserved in Bulgarian history. And for the big personalities, it is good to know the truth. Not only for the sake of honesty towards historical science. I continue to claim that Lyudmila experienced the greatest disappointment not from friends and colleagues whom she trusted, but from her father. And from the party leadership that controlled Bulgaria and dutifully obeyed Moscow. From this starting point, the reasons for Lyudmila's death can be sought, writes Bogomil Gerasimov.

 He believes that the grand celebration of Bulgaria's 1300th anniversary in 1981 is at the core of the death of Todor Zhivkov's daughter. The holiday in Bulgaria infuriates the Kremlin and after seeing that they cannot stop Zhivkov and his daughter, in June they send their own person to meet with the former First. This representative of Chernenko's rank arrives in Sofia quietly and without information for the media. He presents the deep bewilderment and dissatisfaction of the Soviet party leadership with the nationalist demonstrations related to Bulgaria's 1300th anniversary in Mexico. "He makes it understand that Moscow will no longer tolerate celebrations like this and certainly not something similar in Bulgaria itself," notes Bogomil Gerasimov in his book "Diplomacy in the cactus zone".

 He believes that the Soviet representative is instilling in Todor Zhivkov that his daughter should be immediately relieved of her position as chairperson of the Committee for Culture and member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Bulgarian Communist Party. According to them, it is not necessary to announce this in 1981. At first, it is sufficient to focus on her health problems and to use her "illness" in Mexico as a pretext for her withdrawal from the political scene. Otherwise, nothing good will follow for the two of them. Zhivkov has no other alternative and shortly before Ludmila's death, he sends her to "imprisonment" in Borovets, focusing on her rescue and survival. He takes measures to talk about her exhaustion, the need for a long rest, and not to mention anything about her visit to Mexico and the 1300th anniversary.

 She is "dismissed" from all her positions by her own father while she is in Borovets. It is believed that there was a big scandal between the two, but despite their disagreement, she couldn't do anything. She closes herself off and falls into depression. Shortly before going to the government villa in the winter resort, she visits Vanga and when she sees the books given to the prophetess by her father, she burns them in the fireplace.

 "At the beginning of July, she took actions that were a bad deal for us, but obviously not for her man, Ivan Slavkov, and her father," says Zhivkova's bodyguard Dimitar Murdzhev. "She started to destroy a lot of materials, tapes and other things on a daily basis. She sent her children to the seaside. She sought solitude and kept doing something hidden and was on edge. She stopped going to work. It was announced that she was on vacation. I don't know who made the decision to go on vacation in Borovets. With treatment. She no longer resisted doctors and nurses. It was visible that she had given up. It seemed that she didn't care about anything anymore. The only sentence she told me during that time was: 'Murdzhev, everything is over now! It's all meaningless!'" It is evident that something had happened to Lyudmila over the course of several weeks, which had thrown her off physical and emotional balance."

 Zhivkov was constantly by Lyudmila's side in Borovets and would often beg her to eat, but she refused. In his memoirs, he writes about this period of his life: "We had a doctor with us who was monitoring her and providing necessary treatment. But in front of my eyes, she was losing strength every day, deteriorating physically more and more..."

 Two days before her death, they also received a report about financial misuse in "Cultural Heritage," created specifically for the country's 13th century anniversary. Leaders of the fund were caught in significant financial abuses. "When she saw the documents, she was shocked - writes Konstantin Chakarov, advisor to Zhivkov, in his book "The Second Floor." "She couldn't believe that a member of the Central Committee would do this."

 During her last week of life in Borovets, Lyudmila Zhivkova slowly prepared for her departure from life. She furiously and methodically destroyed her documents, notes, and photos - everything related to her work. She already knows that there will be no grand celebration in Hall 1 of the National Palace of Culture, no guests will be invited, and she will not be the host of anything related to the 1300th anniversary of Bulgaria.

 She sees her dream shattered, the purpose of her life failed. And when she is sure that she hasn't missed anything important, she embarks on her last journey to Sofia on July 20, 1981.

 Regarding her funeral, her deputy in the Committee for Culture, Emil Alexandrov shares: "Her body was more heavily guarded than a living leader. What were they so afraid of from this body?" "And is that why they didn't publish anything about the autopsy?"

 Everyone is shocked when they see that the body of Lyudmila Zhivkova is being guarded more than a living leader. PHOTO: ARCHIVE  

 Later, from secret conversations, it becomes clear that the pathologists who performed the autopsy did not find any traces of a stroke. This is probably the secret that the professor is hiding until his grave.

 Or it may be something else. After many years, the director of the Government Hospital, Professor Dr. Yonko Beloev, entrusts his close associate: "We had a big problem with Lyudmila. Her body was supposed to be taken for public viewing, but until the very end, blood was still flowing from her nose despite it being packed. This means that there was still blood left in the head. In the case of a sudden death from a brain hemorrhage, a large amount of blood remains in the vessels of the brain, which then slowly drains out through the nose." "Probably that's how it happened," says Beloev.

 The information about the blood gives advantage to the version of a stroke, but Beloev is categorical that the actual cause of death will never be known because no autopsy was performed, nor were materials taken from the body for necessary examinations. The professor did note, however, that although Zhivkova herself did not give consent for an autopsy, it was still performed "more than allowed". They opened the cranial lid and thus discovered a massive brain hemorrhage under the soft brain membranes. The brain itself was not removed and thus retained the blood.

 In fact, over the years, three possible causes of Lyudmila Zhivkova's death have been established: an accident, suicide, and murder, ordered by the Kremlin.

 Todor Zhivkov himself writes in his memoirs:

 "It is difficult for me to say, but I cannot say whether her death was a result of exhaustion of her strength, or if there was some external interference."

 What exactly Todor Zhivkov was doubtful about never becomes clear. Despite the power he held, he does not order a special investigation to unravel the mystery surrounding his daughter's death.

 And it only intensifies when, a few days after the funeral, by order of Milko Balev, almost all the transcripts of Ludmila's statements are immediately collected and disappear forever. For all these reasons, it is believed that the secret surrounding Ludmila Zhivkova's death will never be revealed.