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Russian embassy says Bulgaria failed to disclose investigation into ammo storage blasts

A spokeswoman for the Bulgarian Prosecutor General’s Office Siika Mileva earlier informed that the Bulgarian prosecution suspects six Russians of organizing four explosions at the country’s arms factories over a nine-year period stretching from 2011 to 2020
Russian Embassy in Bulgaria Igor Lenkin/TASS
Russian Embassy in Bulgaria
© Igor Lenkin/TASS

SOFIA, April 28. /TASS/. Bulgaria has not informed the Russian Embassy about the investigation of explosions that Russian nationals are suspected of being involved in, the Russian diplomatic mission told TASS.

"Bulgarian law enforcement did not address us for additional information in relation to the investigation into this crime, nor did they inform us about the course of investigation," the Russian embassy said.

Earlier on Wednesday, a spokeswoman for the Bulgarian Prosecutor General’s Office Siika Mileva informed that the Bulgarian prosecution suspects six Russians of organizing four explosions at the country’s arms factories over a nine-year period stretching from 2011 to 2020. The factories stored weapons belonging to Bulgarian arms dealer Emilian Gebrev.

According to Mileva, Bulgarian prosecutors think that "there are certain similarities in the four explosions at the ammunition factories," where the ammo and weapons there "intended for export to Ukraine and Georgia" were stored. She added that Bulgarian investigators had determined that "six Russian citizens were on Bulgarian territory on the dates close to the times of the explosions and the assassination attempt on Emilian Gebrev."

According to the Bulgarian prosecution, Gebrev’s assassination attempt was carried out in the period from April 28 to May 4, 2015, and the blasts at the arms factories in question took place in November 2011, twice in 2015 and once in 2020.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in response to Bulgaria’s statement in January 2020 that law enforcement bodies should be involved in this situation, because this is a criminal investigation. She pointed out that the evidence of the investigation is insufficient and dismissed Sofia’s accusations as another element of an anti-Russian smear campaign that may have been organized by members of the Bulgarian political establishment.