US embassy backs Bulgaria’s actions against Russian spies, Gebrev accused
The United States embassy commends recent actions by the Bulgarian government to defend the country’s independence and sovereignty from malign influence, including the January 24 announcement of the expulsion of two Russian embassy officers for espionage and the January 23 announcement of charges against three Russian citizens for attempted murder, the US embassy said.
The statement came after the Prosecutor’s Office announced that it had informed the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry of espionage by two Russian embassy officials, and the ministry’s announcement that they would be declared persona non grata. It came, also, after an announcement that Bulgaria was pressing charges of attempted murder against three Russians for the attempted murder of Dunarit weapons plant owner Emilian Gebrev and two others.
“We support the long-term efforts of the agencies involved in investigating and exposing violations of Bulgarian law. Bulgaria is a strong Nato ally and EU partner and has an unalienable right to define its own future,” the US embassy said.
The US embassy said that it notes the recent emergence of compelling information regarding a series of malign actions by agents of the Russian government within Bulgarian territory, resulting in the expulsion of three Russian embassy officers and the revocation of visas of two others on espionage grounds in the past four months.
It saiad that the government of Bulgaria has produced evidence of Russia-supported malign activities occurring within the territory of Bulgaria over a number of years.
As Bulgarian investigators explained in a December 2019 press release, several of the very same Russian agents who were responsible for a poisoning case in Bulgaria were involved in other malign activities across Europe, the embassy said.
(Photo: US embassy, Sofia, Bulgaria)
