Russian intelligence linked to 2011, 2015 explosions aimed at disrupting ammo supply to Georgia: Bulgarian prosecutors
Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev was flanked by officials from investigative agencies of Bulgaria in Tuesday's briefing that made the revelations. Photo via Prosecutor's Office of Republic of Bulgaria.
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Explosions at ammo depots in Bulgaria between 2011-2020 are likely linked to attempts of Russian military intelligence to hinder export of ammunition from the country to Ukraine and Georgia, Bulgarian state prosecutors told a press briefing on Tuesday.
In comments made on investigations by the Prosecutor's Office of Republic of Bulgaria - launched after investigative group Bellingcat last year studied visits to the country by GRU operatives - the state agency said there were grounds to believe some of the explosions had resulted from attempts to disrupt shipment of materials to the two countries.
Two of the incidents date back to 2015 and have been linked by the investigators to three suspected agents of the Russian service, while another case from 2011 has been specifically connected to attempts to halt supplies to Georgia.
Here are the locations and times of the explosions in Bulgaria. pic.twitter.com/HNM937M44F
— Christo Grozev (@christogrozev) April 28, 2021
Some of the depots where the explosions took place belonged to private company EMCO, with others owned by state arms manufacturing company VMZ Sopot the prosecutor's office said.
From the evidence collected so far, with a high level of confidence it is concluded that the purpose of the actions of Russian citizens was to cut off the supply of special products to Georgia and Ukraine
- Prosecutor's Office of Republic of Bulgaria
The investigation detailed cases on fires and explosions in five separate incidents, and named six citizens of Russia as suspects in the incidents and to be likely working for the GRU intelligence.
Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev, spokesperson Siyka Mileva, Administrative Head of the Specialized Prosecutor's Office Valentina Madjarova and Director of the State Agency for National Security Dimitar Georgiev spoke at the press briefing announcing the findings.
The briefing comes in the wake of a string of investigations by the Bulgarian prosecutor's office against a number of Russian citizens and suspected operatives for "unregulated intelligence activity" in the country in separate recent cases.