Bulgaria on Thursday expelled the head of the Russian Orthodox Church in Sofia and two Belarusian priests, accusing them of serving Moscow’s geopolitical interests.
The move was described as “diabolical” by the Russian embassy.
The National Security Agency announced the deportation of the three men, coupled with a five-year re-entry ban. It referred to them only by their initials and nationality.
The clerics are accused of implementing “Russia’s hybrid strategy aimed at influencing socio-political processes in Bulgaria in favour of the interests” of the Kremlin, according to a statement.
In a message posted on Facebook, the Russian embassy said one of the expelled men was the representative of the Russian Orthodox Church in Sofia, Archimandrite Vassian.
The pro-European government currently ruling Bulgaria “has clearly set itself the mission of playing the Russian and Bulgarian peoples against each other,” the embassy charged, adding that it was “indignant” at this “brutal” decision.
“This case is unprecedented,” Ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanova said in a video broadcast by the official TASS news agency.
While a member of the EU and NATO, Bulgaria - a Slavic and Orthodox country - is historically and culturally close to Moscow, but relations have been strained since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In June 2022, Sofia had announced the expulsion of 70 Russian diplomatic staff.
