Russian Spies in Bulgaria Collected Information on Belarusian Topics
- 29.03.2021, 18:17
The Bulgarian authorities said they had managed to declassify a Russian spy group.
The Bulgarian government has released a video of a Bulgarian Defense Ministry official taking photographs of his work computer of secret military documents containing information about F-16 fighters. The official was supposed to give these photos to the head of the Russian spy group.
The prosecutor's office managed to intercept the conversation between the alleged leader of the espionage group and the Bulgarian official: “Last time you handed over four selections. I saw that on the USB stick. It's useful material."
The prosecutor's office detained five men and one woman who are accused of spying for Russia. It is noted that this is the largest exposure of spies in Bulgaria since the Cold War.
Russia is using its long-standing ties with some NATO and EU members to establish spy networks in these countries and obtain classified information. Former socialist Bulgaria was a reliable ally of the USSR, but in 2004 it joined NATO, and in 2007 - the EU. But thanks to the economic ties and relations of Bulgarian politicians, businessmen, and heads of special services with Moscow, Russia still influences the internal affairs and intelligence services of the Balkan state, The Wall Street Journal writes.
The materials published by the prosecutor's office show that in the era of developed cyber espionage, Moscow still uses agents.
“Russia is masterful at using former intelligence networks that are still operational even thirty years after the fall of the communist regime,” Martin Vladimirov, a senior analyst at the Sofia think tank for the study of democracy, said.
Forensic evidence, including audio recordings, video footage, and documents, provides detailed evidence of Russian espionage activities. In one video, an espionage suspect is counting dollars at his desk. In another video, the suspects meet at a tennis court in the evening to transmit information. In other materials, the leader of the group - Bulgarian investigators call him "the resident" - gives instructions on how to disguise the spy equipment as a gift.
The spying also involved the “resident's” wife, who has dual Bulgarian and Russian citizenship. She mediated between the spy group and the Russian embassy. The video shows a woman entering the Russian embassy and leaving it an hour later. Her task was to transmit the information she received and collect money. The woman was detained as an accomplice.
The Sofia military court ruled to keep five suspects in custody. The sixth was released on bail after pleading guilty and cooperating with the Bulgarian authorities. Bulgaria also expelled two Russian diplomats in connection with this case.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia called this case "another exacerbation of anti-Russian espionage in Bulgaria against the background of the rise of Russophobia in the West and, above all, the United States."
The names of the detainees were not officially disclosed. One of the defendants' lawyers claims that the court's decision is unjustified, so he will appeal.
“The prosecutor’s office does not note what information my client and other persons have collected for transfer to Russia. Then the question arises whether this information is a state secret,” the lawyer notes.
In recent years, Bulgaria has expelled several Russian diplomats for alleged espionage. Last year, the Czech Republic and Slovakia accused Russian diplomats of illegal activities and were also expelled.
The Bulgarian government notes that members of the espionage group had access to the secrets of NATO, the EU, and Bulgaria, as they worked in the Ministry of Defense, military intelligence, and parliament. All of them held high positions and had access to classified information.
The prosecutor's office said that the "resident" was a former senior military intelligence officer in Bulgaria. He is a Stalinist in his views. He has studied at the school of Russian military intelligence in Moscow. The "resident" said that he offered other agents $1,800 a month for their work.
On one of the audio recordings, the “resident” can be heard saying to his agents: “If there is something secret, take pictures. I am interested in materials about Russia, the Middle East, Iraq, local conflicts like Nagorno-Karabakh. Ukraine and Belarus too.”
It is not yet established how long ago the group began to operate. According to the audio recordings, the main motivation for the agents was money. They were paid in Bulgarian leva because, as the "resident" explains on one of the audio recordings," you exchanging currency can attract attention to you."