In 2022, Bulgaria declared 84 Russian Officials as Persona Non Grata

In the past year 2022, Bulgaria declared 84 employees of the Russian official representations in our country as persona non grata. This was said in an interview with BTA by the chairman of the National Security Agency, Plamen Tonchev.

For comparison, in 2021, three employees of the Russian representative offices were declared persona non grata.

According to Tonchev, there is currently no direct risk to the security of our country. However, the continuation of hostilities may lead to an increase in the migration flow to and through Bulgaria. There are possible consequences in economic terms, such as a rise in prices and the emergence of prerequisites for disruption of supply chains, he also said.

"The war in Ukraine reflects the ambitions of the Russian Federation to intervene in the world order and oppose the USA and the West. The events of the past year put the topics of global food security and the need to overcome the energy dependence of the European Union (EU) on Russia on the agenda", according to the chairman of the security agency.