Bulgarian Prosecutors Arrest Alleged Members of Russian Spy Ring
Russian President Vladimir Putin talks with Bulgarian President Rumen Radev (Wikimedia).
Bulgarian prosecutors arrested six members of a Russian spy ring on espionage charges on March 19, including five Defense Ministry officials and one additional collaborator. The members are accused of stealing classified security information regarding Bulgaria, the European Union, NATO, and the U.S.
The arrested individuals included several high-ranking Bulgarian officials, including a former military attaché responsible for handling confidential information in the Bulgarian Parliament and a senior Defense Ministry official involved in budgeting and planning. Another member is a former military intelligence officer from the Defense Ministry, who is suspected of leading the conspiracy.
The alleged leader is suspected to have been trained by the Russian military to form an “illegal network of agents” in high-ranking intelligence positions. His wife, who has dual Bulgarian-Russian citizenship, allegedly acted as a liaison between the group and the Russian embassy, where she delivered the information and documents. Prosecutors played phone conversation recordings and videos of the suspects meeting in the Russian embassy as evidence.
“The criminal group has posed a serious threat for the national security by collecting and handing to a foreign country information which constitutes state secrets,” said a spokeswoman at the state prosecutor’s office. Prosecutors believe that the spy ring had been operating for an extended period of time.
Moscow condemned the “speculation” about Russia’s assumed involvement until the courts issue a ruling and warned against actions that would “demonize” the country. The Russian embassy in Sofia stated that they anticipate that “legal proceedings will be depoliticized, unbiased, and objective.”
From 2019 to 2020, Bulgaria expelled six individuals from the Russian embassy, including five Russian diplomats and one technical assistant, for alleged espionage. Due to diplomatic immunity, these past cases could not be prosecuted, but the alleged conspirators in the 2021 case face sentences of 10 years to life in prison.
Though this is not Bulgaria’s first experience with spy scandals, Chief Prosecutor Ivan Geshev stated that the latest incident was “unparalleled since 1944” due to the confidential nature of the information that was shared. Despite attempts to distance itself from Moscow following their communist-era alliance, Bulgaria remains dependent on Russia’s energy supply and maintains close cultural ties.