Pride and scorn as Bulgaria unveils EU’s highest flagpole

Raising of huge national flag in mountains of bloc’s poorest country widely mocked on social media

A soaring mast in the mountains of southern Bulgaria has made the EU’s poorest country the home of the bloc’s highest flagpole, filling some with pride and drawing scorn from others.

Nationalism and populism are on the rise in the Balkan nation, where many remain strongly Russophile despite Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.