Bulgarian MPs complained about allegedly illegal work of Russian consulate in Varna

MPs from the Yes Bulgaria party have complained to the State Security Service (DANS) about Russia's alleged illegal provision of consular services in the city of Varna.

According to the statement, a journalistic investigation revealed the previous week that Russia was allegedly using the headquarters of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) in Varna to provide consular services.

"The Yes Bulgaria Party has signaled to DANS about an illegal Russian consulate at the headquarters of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) in Varna... We call on DANS to carry out the necessary checks and take the necessary legal measures if the revelations are confirmed," RIA Novosti quoted the statement as saying.

According to the authors of the complaint, the Russian consulate in the seaside city was closed in October 2023 after the expulsion of employees of Russian diplomatic missions in the country.

In recent years, the Bulgarian authorities have repeatedly applied repression to Russian diplomats, declaring them persona non grata. The biggest scandal occurred in 2022, when the government of Kiril Petkov expelled from the country 70 Russian diplomats who allegedly worked for the intelligence services, using diplomatic activity as a cover.

For her part, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova emphasized at the time that Moscow regarded the expulsion of the two diplomats as a provocation and reserved the right to retaliate. Sofia did not provide clear justifications and evidence of inappropriate activities of Russian diplomats, she said.

Since mid-March 2022, several European countries have announced the expulsion of Russian diplomats for "activities incompatible with their status." Thus, on March 18, the authorities of Bulgaria and the Baltic states - Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia - announced such a measure.