Sofia: Bulgaria has expelled two Russian diplomats accused of spying on themilitary, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday.
The pair were given 72 hours to leave the EU country, a former Russian allyduring Soviet times, after the Bulgarian public prosecutor alleged they hadbeen seeking out classified information on military modernisation planssince 2016.
The spying rap is likely to worsen traditionally warm but now frayingrelations between the two countries after last year saw the ejection ofthree other Russian diplomats over allegations of obtaining classifiedinformation.
Sofia’s state prosecutor said the two latest diplomats — whose status wasnot revealed — had solicited information constituting state secrets to passon to Russian military intelligence.
The two allegedly received help from two Bulgarian nationals enjoyingaccess to the military.
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Sofia’s relations with Moscow had soured even ahead of the spying spatsafter three Russian nationals were charged in absentia over the attemptedpoisoning in 2015 of a Bulgarian arms manufacturer, Emilian Gebrev, his sonand another associate.
A former Warsaw Pact ally of Moscow, Bulgaria’s military retains militaryhardware dating from that era and is now modernising to conform with NATOguidelines after joining the western alliance in 2004.
