Filip Voskresenski, a senior Russian diplomat, told reporters at the airport in Bulgaria’s capital Sofia before flights departed that he was among 70 Russian diplomats declared “persona non grata” last week and ordered to leave the country by end of sunday The decision to expel Bulgaria was announced by acting Prime Minister Kiril Petkov, who has taken a strong stance against Russia following its February 24 invasion of Ukraine. to overthrow his government. Petkov said Russia would retain 43 of its officials after the expulsion and noted that Bulgaria has just 12 diplomatic staff in Moscow. “Anyone who works against Bulgaria’s interests will be asked to return to the country they came from,” he said. On Friday, Russian Ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanova issued an ultimatum to Bulgaria to reverse its decision and threatened that Moscow would completely sever diplomatic relations. “I intend to urgently raise before the leadership of my country the issue of the closure of the Russian embassy in Bulgaria, which will inevitably lead to the closure of the Bulgarian diplomatic mission in Moscow,” she said in a statement. The expulsion, which has severely strained diplomatic ties, is the largest number of Russian diplomats ever expelled from Bulgaria, which is a member of the European Union and NATO. Bulgaria has strongly supported Western sanctions against Moscow since it launched its war against Ukraine more than four months ago. The European Union, of which Bulgaria has been a member since 2007, responded to Russia’s “unjustified threat” and said it “stands in full support and solidarity with Bulgaria.” The story continues In late April, Russia cut gas supplies to Bulgaria after officials refused Moscow’s request to pay gas bills in rubles, the Russian currency. Bulgaria’s defense minister was also expelled in early March for referring to Russia’s war as a “special military operation”, as the Kremlin preferred.
Stephen McGrath reported from Sighisoara, Romania.
