Ivan Kolev – Forgotten and Rediscovered Hero of the Bulgarian Army

Abstract

General Ivan Kolev was born in Bessarabia. He graduated from the elite school (middle school) for Bulgarian Minority in Bolhrad. Subsequently he settled down in Bulgaria where he made a brilliant career. In 1916, Ivan Kolev defeated all foreign troops (Romanian, Russian, Serbian) in Dobruja. He was the creator of the Bulgarian cavalry. In the interwar period, Ivan Kolev was widely known and valued. During the communist period, however, he was completely forgotten. It was only after the fall of the totalitarian regime that the figure of General Ivan Kolev was restored to history, both in Bulgaria and in Ukraine, where he was born.