Petrich Incident

The Petrich Incident was a border conflict between Bulgaria and Greece in 1925. Following the killing of a Greek soldier, Greek military units invaded Bulgarian territory and occupied ten Bulgarian villages. On 19 October 1925, at border post No. 1 at the Demir Kapia Pass in the Belasitsa Mountains, a Greek soldier entered Bulgarian territory and, after a warning, was shot at 2 p.m. by Bulgarian border guards. Following the incident, Greek border guards attempted to retrieve the body, provoking an exchange of fire. Exploiting the incident, General Theodoros Pangalos, Greece's dictator, who was preparing for forthcoming elections, stirred up nationalist hysteria in the country. On 22 October 1925, without declaring war, he ordered the Greek 6th Division, stationed near Serres, to invade Bulgaria.

The conflict was successfully resolved through mediation by the League of Nations. The diplomatic failure in the conflict became a major factor in General Pangalos's election campaign. He lost the election.