Bulgaria expels Russian diplomat over arms depot blasts, Russia says it will respond

Bulgaria on Thursday said it was expelling a Russian diplomat after prosecutors said they suspected Russian involvement in four explosions at arms depots in Bulgaria.

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At a meeting with the Russian ambassador, Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva requested full Russian cooperation with Bulgaria’s investigation of the explosions and of attempts to poison Bulgarian arms trader Emilian Gebrev.

Russia will respond to the expulsion of one of its diplomats by Bulgaria, the Interfax newsagency cited the foreign ministry as saying on Thursday.

Bulgarian prosecutors on Wednesday said they were collecting evidence on the possible involvement of six Russians in four explosions between 2011 and 2020 at Bulgarian arms depots that were storing munitions for export to Ukraine and Georgia.