The State Agency “National Security“ expelled two Russian intelligence officers and thwarted attempts at espionage, sabotage and economic penetration in our country. This is according to data from the agency's report for the past 2024.
In 2024 The State Security Service of the Russian Federation has identified and expelled two Russian citizens working as illegal spies for the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, the agency's annual report states, BTV reports.
They have been banned from entering and residing in the territory of the member states of the European Union for a period of five years.
In addition, the activities of several more individuals have been disrupted, including a person with dual Russian and Colombian citizenship, also engaged in intelligence activities in EU and NATO countries.
During the year, a Bulgarian citizen was also detained, suspected of espionage in favor of Russia, against whom pre-trial proceedings for a crime against the Republic have been initiated.
The State Security Service has prevented the penetration of a Belarusian citizen into a military unit and a Ukrainian citizen into a strategic energy facility. At the same time, the agency has blocked the transfer of capital of Russian origin, an attempt to circumvent sanctions against Moscow, and has included 19 foreign citizens on the list of undesirable persons in our country.
The report emphasizes that hybrid threats in 2024 remained high: intelligence operations, sabotage, propaganda, disinformation campaigns and cyberattacks were the main tools for subversion against Bulgaria.
The Kremlin continued to use economic dependencies, including in energy, as well as to pursue an active policy of influence in the fields of culture, education and religion.