Bulgarian authorities disrupt a criminal group exporting dual-use goods to Wagner and other groups fighting in Ukraine

A criminal group has been detected involved in exporting goods with possible dual use, exported for the military actions on the territory of Ukraine, said Deputy Prosecutor General Maria Pavlova; Zhivko Kotsev, Secretary General of the Ministry of Interior; Chairman of the State Agency for National Security (SANS) Plamen Tonchev and Vanya Hristeva, District Prosecutor of Plovdiv. during a joint press conference in Bulgaria’s second largest city of Plovdiv on October 10.

"These items are not intended for the regular Russian army. These items are intended for the special forces fighting on the territory of Ukraine. The possible end users of the articles in the Russian Federation are the elite troops of the 26th Special Purpose Detachment, better known as the Rosgvardiya, the Naval Infantry, the Wagner Private Military Company, the Ahmat Detachment and others," explained SANS Chairman Plamen Tonchev.

"Numerous investigative actions were carried out yesterday on the territory of several district cities. An organised criminal group was detected and disrupted. It was set up with a selfish purpose - to obtain monetary benefits. It is involved in the export of dual-use goods from Bulgaria to the Russian Federation in violation of EU sanctions imposed in connection with the war in Ukraine. One of the organisers has registered a trading company in Plovdiv. The company purchased various types of dual-use goods for a total value of about BGN 4 million - optical sights, ballistic metre, aviation radios and others, which were stored in a residential property. There they were repackaged and prepared for export from Sofia airport to the Russian Federation," explained Deputy Prosecutor General, Maria Pavlova.

She said all 12 members of the criminal group had been detained.

"Five individuals, all foreign nationals, have been charged," she added.

"They traded in these goods and technologies, exported them for the hostilities in Ukraine. Twelve people were detained, 5 of them are foreign citizens. Three of them are from the Russian Federation , one Albanian and one Belarusian," said Zhivko Kotsev, secretary general of the Ministry of Interior.

He said that during the investigative actions in Sofia, Varna, Plovdiv and Veliko Tarnovo, a lot of evidence was seized that is relevant to the criminal activities of the individuals.

Plamen Tonchev pointed out that SANS had received operational information on illegal transfer of goods with possible dual use. It concerns an international network established by foreign citizens with the aim of carrying out illegal deliveries of dual-use goods, with civilian and military application, from European countries to the Russian Federation. The exported goods were used for military operations in Ukraine.