A group of people detained in Bulgaria for allegedly spying for Moscow is suspected of having links to the Russian Embassy in Sofia, the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th March, 2021) A group of people detained in Bulgaria for allegedly spying for Moscow is suspected of having links to the Russian Embassy in Sofia, the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday.
Earlier in the day, the national Prosecutor's Office said it brought espionage charges against six Bulgarian citizens, including servicemen and public servants, who were related to national security and allegedly transferred classified data to a foreign nation. Five of them were detained for 72 hours, while one was released on bail.
"The Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomes the joint work of the Prosecutor's Office [and other agencies] ... on solving another case of collecting secret information in the interests of Russia. This is not the first time that we have witnessed the actions of foreign embassies incompatible with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, and declare that they are unacceptable," the ministry said in a statement.
According to prosecutors, the wife of the spy group's leader has Bulgarian and Russian citizenship and is trusted by Russian diplomats who are accredited in the European country. She played the role of an intermediary between the leader and an employee of the Russian Embassy in Sofia, transferring information and money. The group reportedly aimed at establishing an illegal intelligence network and recruiting people who had access to classified information.
