A Bulgarian umbrella is an umbrella with a hidden pneumatic mechanism which injects a small poisonous pellet containing ricin. It has a hollowed stalk in which the pellet neatly sits. Such an umbrella was used in and named for the assassination of the Bulgarian dissident writer Georgi Markov on 7 September 1978 (the birthday of the Bulgarian State Council chairman Todor Zhivkov, who had often been the target of Georgi Markov's criticism) on Waterloo Bridge in London. Markov died four days later. It was also allegedly used in the failed assassination attempt against the Bulgarian dissident journalist

Vladimir Kostov Vladimir may refer to: Names * Vladimir (name) for the Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Macedonian, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak and Slovenian spellings of a Slavic name * Uladzimir for the Belarusian version of the name * Volodymyr for the Ukra ...

the same year in the Paris ''Métro''. The poison used in both cases was ricin. Both assassination attempts are believed to have been organized by the Bulgarian Secret Service of the time of the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...

with the assistance of the KGB. Such an umbrella was intended to be used in the assassination of

Pallo Jordan Zweledinga Pallo Jordan (born 22 May 1942) is a South African politician. He was a member of the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress, and was a cabinet minister from 1994 until 2009. Early life Jordan is the son of th ...

and Ronnie Kasrils by the South African

Civil Cooperation Bureau The South African Civil Cooperation Bureau (CCB), was a government-sponsored counterinsurgency unit, during the apartheid era. The CCB, operated under the authority of Defence Minister General Magnus Malan. The Truth and Reconciliation Com ...

death squad.

Cultural influence

These two cases inspired: * A similar needle, in a suitcase, was used in the 1966 movie ''

The Quiller Memorandum ''The Quiller Memorandum'' is a 1966 British neo noir eurospy film filmed in Deluxe Color and Panavision, adapted from the 1965 spy novel '' The Berlin Memorandum'', by Elleston Trevor under the name "Adam Hall", screenplay by Harold Pinter, d ...

'' to inject a sedative into George Segal's leg - Segal played the titular Quiller character. * The episode "Hot Ice" of '' Quincy, M.E.'' (1978) * The Markov case was referenced directly, and a similar assassination method used, in the 1979 novel '' The Green Ripper'' by

John D. MacDonald John Dann MacDonald (July 24, 1916December 28, 1986) was an American writer of novels and short stories. He is known for his thrillers. MacDonald was a prolific author of crime and suspense novels, many set in his adopted home of Florida. On ...

. * The French film ''Le Coup du parapluie'' ('' The Umbrella Coup'') directed by Gérard Oury and starring Pierre Richard (1980) * The episode "At All Costs" of ''

The Sandbaggers ''The Sandbaggers'' is a British spy drama television series about men and women on the front lines of the Cold War. Set contemporaneously with its original broadcast on ITV in 1978 and 1980, ''The Sandbaggers'' examines the effect of espionag ...

'' (1980) * Two episodes of the British political comedy series '' Yes, Minister'' / ''

Yes, Prime Minister ''Yes Minister'' is a British political satire sitcom written by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn. Comprising three seven-episode series, it was first transmitted on BBC2 from 1980 to 1984. A sequel, ''Yes, Prime Minister'', ran for 16 episodes fro ...

'', where in " The Death List" (1981) the titular Minister Jim Hacker is told of various risks by methods of assassination, and in " A Diplomatic Incident" (1987) a Bulgarian Umbrella is suggested as a way to kill a French puppy that was intended as gift to the Queen, to prevent a diplomatic incident caused by quarantine regulations * Bulgarian writer Stefan Kisyov's novel '' The Executioner'' (2003) * The episode " Seven Thirty-Seven" of the American

crime drama Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and comb ...

'' Breaking Bad'' (2009) * The episode "Obsession" of '' NCIS'' (2010) * The episode Marionette of '' Fringe'' (2010) * The episode " The Clock" of ''

The Americans ''The Americans'' is an American period spy drama television series created by Joe Weisberg that aired on the FX television network for six seasons from January 30, 2013, to May 30, 2018. Weisberg and Joel Fields also serve as showrunners a ...

'' (2013) * The 2022

Steven Soderbergh Steven Andrew Soderbergh (; born January 14, 1963) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer and editor. A pioneer of modern independent cinema, Soderbergh is an acclaimed and prolific filmmaker. Soderbergh's direct ...

thriller '' Kimi'' features a public injection of an unknown sedative using the tip of an umbrella.

References

{{reflist Projectile weapons Weapons of the Cold War Umbrellas

Cultural influence

See also

Further reading

References