A Russian diplomat was recalled over espionage after Bulgarian authorities failed to raise charges against him due to his immunity.
There are “grounds” to charge a first secretary of the Russian Embassy in Bulgaria for espionage, the Special Prosecution in Sofia said in a statement without naming the person. The diplomat was involved in gathering intelligence for nearly a year from September 2018. A Russian Foreign Ministry official didn’t immediately answer a request for comment by Bloomberg.
The relations between the two countries -- traditionally cordial, particularly in the energy sector -- have been put to a test several times in the past two months. On September 10, the head of a pro-Russian non-governmental Bulgarian group was charged with espionage for allegedly working to shift his country’s geopolitical orientation. A week earlier, Bulgaria’s foreign ministry criticized Kremlin over remarks about World War II.
The diplomat “held regular conspirative meetings with Bulgarian citizens, including a ruling official with access to classified information” from Bulgaria, the European Union and NATO, the prosecution said.