Prosecutor's Office found out from the media about the expulsion of the 70 Russian diplomats from Bulgaria

The Prosecutor's Office found out from the media about the expelled Russian diplomats. The spokeswoman of the Prosecutor General Siyka Mileva told BNT on June 29 that the state public Prosecutor’s office has not received any information from the security services about unauthorised activity of the diplomats on the territory of the country.

Bulgaria to expel 70 Russian diplomats who worked against the interests of the country

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, the decision to expel the Russian diplomats came from outside the country.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said the the extradition of the diplomats was an order from outside.

"This was not done in the interests of Bulgaria and Bulgarian citizens, but was done on the orders of external forces," she said.

According to Zakharova, external forces under false pretexts seek to scold the European countries with Russia and destroy everything that has been created for decades on the European continent.

"This is an attempt by the Parliament, which has lost credibility, and the Bulgarian government, which is outgoing, to deal a crushing blow to relations with Russia," Maria Zakharova said.

Speaking to the state-run TASS news agency last night, the first secretary of the Russian embassy in Sofia, Philip Voskresensky, said that in addition to him, the consuls in Varna and Rousse, Vladimir Klimanov and Andrei Gromov, have to leave the country. The director of the Russian Cultural Information Centre, Yuri Makushin, who was appointed to the post just a few weeks ago, has also been expelled. Voskresensky reports that because of the expelled diplomats, the consulate general in Rousse will be closed down, almost all the staff at the consulate in Varna are also among those expelled. A check by BNT today found that the consulate general in Rousse is now officially closed - it will no longer accept or issue documents on all consular matters, according to information on the website.

Rousse Mayor Pencho Milkov, in a Facebook post, described the expulsion of the diplomatic mission staff as a destructive act and an unprecedented arbitrariness that will harm citizens and entrepreneurs.

In Varna, the Consulate General is still open and today there was a reception day for citizens.

The Russian Foreign Ministry says it reserves the right to retaliate politically and diplomatically, including with non-reciprocal measures.