Bulgaria expelled 10 Russian diplomats in an unprecedented move that underscored strained relations with one of the Kremlin’s closest allies within the European Union.
The diplomats were declared personae non gratae on Friday for carrying out activities that contradicted the Vienna Convention governing diplomatic relations, the Foreign Ministry in Sofia said in a statement, without providing further details. They have 72 hours to leave the country.
The Black Sea nation, a NATO member that has a history of close economic and cultural ties with Moscow, imports almost all of its gas from Russia and operates a Soviet-era nuclear plant that uses Russian fuel.
The move takes place amid a string of diplomatic expulsions across eastern European EU and NATO members. Over the past two years, the government in Sofia has expelled several Russian diplomats over accusations of espionage in collaboration with Bulgarian defense officials.
