According to Bulgaria’s State Agency for National Security, these religious figures, posing as diplomats, presented a “palpable threat to Bulgarian interests”. Details regarding their activities remain confidential, but independent news portal Free Europe, with insights from the Russian Embassy, identified one of the expelled as Archimandrite Vasyan.
The trio were summoned to the headquarters of the migration service and then escorted directly to the Serbian border.
Media reported that preliminary intelligence indicates a potential Russian hybrid strategy, an indirect method of influencing Bulgaria's sociopolitical landscape. The same individuals were previously expelled from North Macedonia for similar reasons.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, Sofia's streets echoed with protests spearheaded by the pro-Russian Vazrazhdane party.
(jh)
Source: IAR, wGospodarce.pl