Building of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Bulgaria. File photoMOSCOW, Apr 8Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov explained that his country is not expelling Russian Ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanova or declaring her «persona non grata», as this would lead to a complete break in relations, such it is «more expedient» to make a step at the level of the European Union. The parliamentary faction «Democratic Bulgaria» earlier made a demand to expel the Russian ambassador from the country in connection with the provocation in Ukrainian Bucha. Another Deputy Prime Minister, Asen Vasilev, stated that the Council of Ministers is studying this proposal.Bulgarians protest against military aid to Ukraine» We have already recalled 10 diplomats, made some remarks to her, called our ambassador from Russia for consultations in our country, in diplomatic language this means that you must do the same. The next step is to declare her a «person non grata. «But if we do this, it will be a complete break in relations, and we believe that it is much more expedient if such a step is taken, then at the EU level,» Petkov told reporters. His words are quoted by the Bulgarian National Television (BNT). He added that decision-making in this area should be treated «very carefully.» The Bulgarian prosecutor's office said earlier that the Russian diplomat, whom she calls the «first secretary» of the embassy, was engaged in «intelligence activities», without mentioning his name. Bulgaria's chief prosecutor, Ivan Geshev, informed the country's foreign minister Teodora Genchovska about the data «collected during the investigation of a possible crime.» He called on the Foreign Minister to take measures within the competence of the department.Proposal to declare Mitrofanov persona non grata is being discussed in Bulgaria. Earlier, Bulgaria declared 10 Russian diplomats persona non grata. Russia promised to respond to the expulsion of diplomats. Earlier, the Ukrainian authorities and the media distributed a video allegedly filmed in the city of Bucha, Kiev region, where the bodies of the dead lie on the road. Many Internet users questioned the credibility of Kyiv's accusations against Moscow, noting that there was no blood near the bodies on the ground, and some of the dead had white armbands on their sleeves and could have been killed by Ukrainian security forces or territorial defense. Users also noticed that the «dead» move their hands, and when looking in the rear-view mirror of the operator's car, it seems that one of the «dead» changes position as soon as the car passes by.
In Bulgaria, they called the possible refusal of the EU from Russian coal hara-kiri As noted in the military department, during the time this settlement was under the control of the Russian Armed Forces, not a single local resident suffered from any violent actions. The ministry noted that all Russian units completely left Bucha on March 30, and exits from the city in the northern direction were not blocked, while the southern outskirts, including residential areas, were shelled by Ukrainian troops around the clock from large-caliber artillery, tanks and multiple launch rocket systems. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that Russia categorically rejects any accusations of involvement in the deaths in Bucha and demands that international leaders not rush to sweeping accusations against Russia, but listen to Moscow's arguments. According to him, Russian diplomats will continue to promote the topic of the provocation in Bucha on the agenda of the UN Security Council.
