Bulgaria breaks military ring, charges six officials over alleged spying for Russia
Bulgarian officials recently broke a ring of serving and retired military officials who allegedly spied for Russia, according to the Associated Press
- World News
- 2 min read
Bulgarian officials recently broke a ring of serving and retired military officials who allegedly spied for Russia, according to AP. On March 19, the prosecutors said that six people have been arrested and charged and now they could face sentences from 10 years to life in prison if convicted. The Prosecutor General’s spokeswoman, Siika Mileva, said that the six members of the Bulgarian armed forces have been detained on suspicion of passing classified information to a foreign state.
Mileva said, “It’s the first time that an espionage group has been broken in Bulgaria. Their criminal activity endangers our national security”.
‘First such case since 1944’
She added that the alleged ringleader was a former senior official in the Military Intelligence Service, who had graduated from the intelligence school in Moscow run by Russia’s GRU foreign military intelligence. Mileva informed that upon his return to Bulgaria, the ex-official was allegedly leaked with recruiting a network of agents with access to classified documents linked to NATO and the European Union. Further, the suspect’s wife, who holds dual Bulgarian-Russian citizenship, allegedly acted as a contact person with the Russian Embassy where she handed over the documents.
According to AP, other alleged ring members include a senior Defense Ministry official involved in Ministry planning and budgeting, a military intelligence officer who compiled information on hybrid threats and risks, including from Russia, a military intelligence officer who had been sent to overseas missions, and a former military intelligence officer, who has served as military attaché abroad and is currently in charge of the classified information registry of Parliament.
Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev said, “The investigation is crucial for the security of Bulgaria, but also for the security of our partners from the EU, NATO and the United States. This is the first such case since 1944”.