Russia regrets Bulgaria’s move to expel diplomats, promises retaliation

Russia has expressed regret about a move by Bulgaria to expel two Russian diplomats, promising unspecified retaliatory action.

On Wednesday, Bulgaria declared two Russian diplomats “persona non grata” over accusations of espionage and gave them 72 hours to leave the country.

The Russian Embassy in Sofia promptly dismissed the allegation as “groundless,” stressing that no evidence had been presented about the allegations.

On Thursday, the Russian Foreign Ministry also rejected the accusations, saying that Moscow viewed the move “as an intentional attempt to harm the constructive Russia-Bulgarian cooperation.”

The ministry said the details of the retaliatory action would be published at a later date.

Back in January, the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry had leveled spying accusations against two Russian diplomats. Moscow at the time denounced the move as an “unfriendly and provocative” step, stressing that no plausible justification for the move had been presented.

SS