Bulgaria summons its ambassador to Russia for consultations

By Ihvan Radoykov

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AA) - Bulgaria on Thursday summoned its ambassador to Moscow for consultations, the country’s prime minister announced amid rising tensions over the Ukraine war.

Criticizing Russian Ambassador to Sofia Eleonora Mitrofanova’s statements on Bulgaria, Kiril Petkov said in a statement: "I don't think that any Bulgarian citizen would be pleased to see a foreign diplomat offend the Bulgarians or the Bulgarian government.”

Bulgaria summoned Atanas Kristin, its ambassador to Moscow, for "consultations," Petkov said, adding that they expect Russia to summon Mitrofanova back in retaliation.

At the beginning of Russia's war against Ukraine, Mitrofanova used undiplomatic language on the official embassy website about Bulgarian authorities, who have a pro-NATO and pro-European Union stance.

Mitrofanova sent an undersecretary to the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry, where he was summoned to receive a diplomatic note.

Petkov demanded that Russian diplomats spying in the country be recalled to Moscow, and last week 10 Russian diplomats working in Sofia were declared "persona non grata."

The Russia-Ukraine war, which began on Feb. 24, has met international outrage with the EU, US, and UK, among others, implementing tough financial sanctions on Moscow.

At least 977 civilians have been killed so far in Ukraine and 1,594 injured, according to UN estimates, while officials cautioned the true toll is likely far higher.

Over 3.6 million Ukrainians have also fled to neighboring countries, according to the UN refugee agency.