Russian Consulate Returns to Varna - Just Meters from Bulgarian Military Base

The Russian Embassy in Sofia has formally requested permission from Bulgaria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to open a Consulate General in Varna, citing a “reciprocity procedure” as the justification. According to information released by the Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria (DSB) party, the planned location is in a commercial building at the intersection of Dunav and Kozloduy Streets, approximately 200 meters from the headquarters of the Bulgarian Navy.

DSB stated that the Foreign Ministry has referred the request to the State Agency for National Security (SANS) for an opinion. However, the party expressed concern over what it describes as an unusually long delay in the agency’s response, warning that such inaction risks leading to a “tacit consent” to the proposal. In their view, the establishment of a Russian consulate so close to a key NATO military facility would amount to the positioning of an operational base by a hostile power.

The party recalled that the Russian consulate in Varna was shut down in October 2023. This followed the expulsion of 70 Russian diplomats and staff by the government of Kiril Petkov the previous year, over allegations of activities directly endangering Bulgaria’s national security. That decision left both the Varna and Ruse consulates without personnel, significantly straining diplomatic relations between Sofia and Moscow.

Against the backdrop of Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, its official designation of Bulgaria as an “enemy state,” and repeated instances in which Russian intelligence services have allegedly used diplomatic cover for espionage and hybrid operations, DSB warns that reopening such a mission in close proximity to a NATO naval base would constitute a direct threat to Bulgaria’s security and that of its allies.

The party is calling on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to “immediately and categorically” reject the request, arguing that any other decision would represent a political capitulation to a hostile state and undermine Bulgaria’s defense capacity and NATO’s strategic position in the Black Sea region.