10 Russian diplomats expelled from Bulgaria

10 Russian diplomats have been expelled from Bulgaria due to President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine since February 24.

Bulgaria declared 10 Russian diplomats “persona non grata” and given them 72 hours to leave the Balkan country, Sky News reports.

It said their activities were deemed incompatible with their diplomatic status.

In a statement on its website, the Bulgarian foreign ministry said Prime Minister Kiril Petkov was consulted on the expulsions and the Russian ambassador to Sofia had been informed.

According to Sky News, it is the second wave of expulsions of Russian diplomats from Bulgaria, with two expelled on March 2 over allegedly involvement in espionage.

Bulgaria, a Russia’s closest ally during the Cold War, now a European Union and NATO member, has condemned the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

The Russian embassy in the country has called the expulsion a “hostile demarche” that would hurt relations between the two nations.

It follows Slovakia, which expelled three Russian embassy staff on Monday, according to Sky News.