Bulgaria Expels Russian Orthodox Priest as a Russian Spy

Bulgarian authorities have deported the abbot of the Russian Orthodox Church in Sofia, Archimandrite Vassian Zmeyev, who was expelled from Skopje a week earlier on suspicions of being a Russian spy. Alongside Archimandrite Vassian, two other clergy members of the Russian Orthodox Church were also expelled, all three accused of espionage in favor of Russia.

This development was reported by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

"The measures were taken due to their activities aimed at undermining national security and the interests of the Republic of Bulgaria. Evidence has been obtained of actions by the aforementioned individuals related to the implementation of various elements of the Russian Federation's hybrid strategy aimed at exerting targeted influence on socio-political processes in the Republic of Bulgaria in favor of Russian geopolitical interests," stated a press release from Bulgaria's State Agency for National Security.

On September 21, the Russian Ambassador to Bulgaria, Eleonora Mitrofanova, informed Russia's state news agency TASS that three clergymen had been summoned by the migration service and told to leave Bulgaria as they were deemed a "threat to Bulgaria's national security."

In a statement posted on their social media channels, the Russian Embassy in Sofia condemned the expulsion of the three clergymen as a "blatant act." The embassy asserted its disapproval of the decision and its format.

"It is clear that the current Bulgarian leadership has set itself the task of not only undermining the socio-political and cultural-humanitarian ties between our states but also rupturing relations between the sisterly Russian and Bulgarian Orthodox Churches, setting the peoples against each other," the embassy emphasized.

The expulsion took place on the Feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, which is considered a "sacred and pure day" for the parishioners of the Russian Orthodox Church. Therefore, the Russian authorities emphasized that the full responsibility for the rapid deterioration of bilateral relations rests entirely on the Bulgarian side.

In September, Bulgarian MP Atanas Atanasov claimed that Archimandrite Vassian was a "representative of Russian intelligence in a cassock." These comments emerged following reports that Archimandrite Vassian, using his diplomatic status, was among three Russian diplomats expelled from neighboring North Macedonia earlier this month.

Bulgarian media, citing multiple publications in Macedonian media, have reported that "unofficially, Zmeyev coordinated the entire policy of the Macedonian Orthodox Church – Ohrid Archbishopric (MOC-OA) regarding its church diplomacy over the past year, which led to a complete standstill in relations with the Ecumenical Patriarchate on the issue of granting autocephaly to MOC-OA."

It's worth noting that in 2022, Bulgaria, a member of NATO and the European Union, expelled 70 Russian diplomatic staffers.