site.btaSofia City Prosecution Office Conducts Investigation for Espionage

In connection with information circulating that Bulgarian nationals have been arrested on the territory of the United Kingdom for alleged spying for the Russian Federation, the Sofia City Prosecution Office said on Tuesday that it is conducting an investigation for the crime of espionage.

The pre-trial proceedings were initiated in March 2023. Joint actions with the State Agency for National Security are being carried out to establish the criminal activity. Given the nature of the pre-trial proceedings and that they contain classified information, no further details can be provided at this stage, the prosecuting magistracy said.

Bulgarian Ambassador to the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland Marin Raykov said that the British institutions had not informed the Bulgarian Embassy about the detention of the three persons quoted in the release.

Earlier on Tuesday, BBC reported that three Bulgarian nationals had been arrested and charged in the UK for suspected spying for Russia. The suspects were mentioned by name, and photos of them were provided. The three defendants were arrested in February and have been remanded in custody since then, the BBC said.

Reuters and TASS also quoted BBC's story.