The Russian government announced on Monday that it will expel several Bulgarian diplomats from the country in response to Sofia’s decision to declare 10 Russian diplomats persona non grata over the military invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has indicated in a statement published on its website that the Bulgarian ambassador in Moscow has been summoned during the day to be notified of the decision and has stressed that “it is a response” to the measure “without reasons” of Sofia.
The announcement also came a day after the Bulgarian government ordered the country’s port authorities to suspend the admission of Russian ships as well as the provision of services to any ship flying the Russian flag.
The Bulgarian government, however, will make some exceptions for ships in need of humanitarian aid, as well as for ships carrying fuel, food and medicine to the European Union (EU).
The war in Ukraine broke out on February 24 due to the invasion order given by the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, who days earlier had recognized the independence of the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, located in the east of the country and the scene of a conflict since 2014.