Vasil Nikolov Drumev (ca. 1841, Shumen - July 10 1901) was a Bulgarian revolutionary, high cleric, social figure and statesman, prominent writer, one of the founders of the Bulgarian Literature Society (BLS; now known as the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences ) and the first President of BLS (1898).

He was born in Shumen in a craftsman family. Originally, he was taught in his native town by Sava Dobroplodni and Sava Filaretov , but afterwards attended the Odessa Seminary. He was influenced by the revolutionary Georgi Sava Rakovski and joined Rakovski's First Bulgarian Legion in Belgrade in 1861, where he distinguished himself in the fight against the Turkish garrison. Drumev kept close ties with Vasil Levski, Stefan Karadzha and some other Bulgarian revolutionaries.

After the Legion disbanded in 1862, Drumev emigrated in Russia, where he continued his education at the Kyev seminary. In 1869 he settled in Braila and was one of the founders of the Bulgarian literary society (later Bulgarian Academy of Sciences . In 1873 he was ordained priest, and in the ensuing year he was ordained a bishop under the name Clement Branitski. He later became deputy of the metropolitan bishop in Tulcha .

After the Liberation of Bulgaria in 1878, Drumev worked as rector of the Peter-Paul seminary near Lyaskovets . In 1884 he was chosen to be metropolitan bishop of Turnovo. Drumev also took part in the socio-political life in the Principality - he was a deputy in the Constituent assembly in 1879 and in the First great national assembly in 1879; he was Prime Minister in 1879-1880 and in 1886. Drumev was a supporter of Russia and opposed openly the foreign policy of the Regency (1886-1887), the first Stambolov regime (1887-1994) and prince Ferdinand's regime, which led to repressive measures against him.

With Russia trusting Drumev, in Summer 1895 he headed the Bulgarian parliamentary delegation in Saint Petersburg which had to reconcile Bulgaria with Russia, which terminated their official relations in November 1886. His mission was successful. But when he saw that Ferdinand was still not changing his attitude towards Russia, Drumev took pity on his own actions, because they helped Ferdinand to be recognized as a legal Bulgarian ruler.

As a writer, Drumev was father of the Bulgarian fiction. He wrote the first original short story Unfortunate family (1860). Some of his important works include Student and benefactors or what is another's is another's (1864) and the drama Ivanko, the killer of Asen I (1872).