An employee of Bulgaria’s interior ministry was arrested on Monday on suspicion of spying for Russia, the Mediapool news outlet reported, according to Politico.
The employee, an officer with Bulgaria’s General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime, is believed to have leaked classified information to a diplomat with the Russian Embassy in Sofia.
“Unfortunately, it is about an employee of the Ministry of Interior who is being monitored,” said Interior Ministry Secretary General Zhivko Kotsev. “It is about espionage actions, but at this stage, I will refrain from more comments.”
Bulgaria’s State Agency for National Security (DANS) is investigating suspicions that the interior ministry employee had an accomplice.
“Most likely, after all procedural actions are completed, a special briefing will be given in Sofia,” Kotsev said.
This isn’t the first time a Bulgarian government official has been accused of espionage. In 2021, a former military intelligence officer was unmasked as the leader of an espionage group. Several people were arrested, including members of the defense ministry.