Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Monday expelled Bulgaria’s military attaché, Lieutenant Colonel Mitko Borisov, in a retaliatory move for the “unjustified” expulsion of a Russian diplomat from Sofia earlier in the month.
In a statement issued on December 28, the Russian Foreign Ministry said it had summoned the Ambassador of Bulgaria, Atanas Krystin, adding that he was handed a note which declared the Bulgarian military attaché, Mitko Borisov as “persona non grata.”
The Bulgarian diplomat was given 72 hours to leave the country.
The move came after Bulgaria expelled Russia’s military, air and naval attaché earlier in December, with prosecutors in Sofia supporting he had been involved in espionage since 2017. In particular, Bulgaria accused of gathering information about US military personnel’s participation in exercises in Bulgaria.
The Russian diplomat is the sixth to be expelled by NATO member Bulgaria since October 2019 for suspected espionage.
