The Russian is believed to have been engaged in miitary intelligence gathering, including on the U.S. troops deployed in the country during exercises.
Bulgaria's foreign ministry has declared a Russian diplomat persona non grata, giving him 72 hours to leave country over what's reported as actions incompatible with his diplomatic status.
That's according to European Pravda citing a Bulgarian state news agency BGNES.
The ministry has handed the relevant note to the deputy head of the diplomatic mission, who had been summoned earlier.
The ministry's statement comes after the chief prosecutor told the interior minister on Thursday about the evidence gathered in the espionage case targeting the Russian diplomat.
The diplomatic position of the Russian citizen in question has not been specified, while Russian media claim the expelled diplomat was in fact the embassy's military attaché.
Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva received a letter from Chief Prosecutor Ivan Geshev who elaborated on pre-trial proceedings. Among other things, it was established how the diplomat had been collecting information constituting a state secret.
Due to the fact that the suspect enjoys immunity under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the pre-trial proceedings were terminated.
The prosecutor's office clarified that the Russian diplomat had been gathering military intelligence, including on the U.S. troops deployed in Bulgaria during exercises.
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