Bulgaria expels sixth Russian diplomat over espionage
Bulgaria has declared persona non grata a Russian military attache who works at the Russian Embassy in Sofia. The Bulgarian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the diplomat must leave the country within 72 hours.
According to the Bulgarian Prosecutor's Office, he collected information that constitutes state secrets, in particular, about the number of U.S. troops stationed in Bulgaria.
According to the website of the Russian Embassy, the position of military attaché is occupied by Vasily Sazanovich. According to TASS, this is the sixth Russian diplomat expelled from the country in the last two years. The Russian Embassy noted that the Russian side reserves the right to take retaliatory measures.
A week ago, the Netherlands declared persona non grata two Russian diplomats working in the embassy in The Hague. They were also accused of espionage.