10 Facts About Grisha Filipov

Georgi Stanchev Filipov was a leading member of the Bulgarian Communist Party.

Grisha Filipov was born in the small town of Kadiivka, Ukraine, to a family of Bulgarian immigrants.

In 1936, he and his family returned to Bulgaria, where Filipov studied at Lovech High School.

Grisha Filipov became a member of the Bulgarian Communist Party in 1940 and took an active part in the anti-fascist struggle of the Bulgarian students, for which he was arrested in 1942 and sentenced first to 12 and then to 15 years in prison.

Grisha Filipov became a member of the Central Committee of the BCP in 1966, and in 1974, a member of the Politburo.

Grisha Filipov became recognised as a leading economic expert in the Bulgarian government and became associated with the tendency that was sympathetic towards economic liberalisation.

Grisha Filipov was very close to Todor Zhivkov and was regularly touted as a potential successor.

Grisha Filipov held the post until 21 March 1986 when Zhivkov replaced him with Georgi Atanasov.

On 14 July 1992, Grisha Filipov was arrested on charges of misappropriation of state funds, but was released a short time later on health grounds.

Grisha Filipov died in 1994 before he could be brought to trial.