Another Bulgarian Citizen Detained in Russia Amid Rising Tensions with Europe

A Bulgarian national has been detained by Russian authorities, the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) confirmed to BTA.

Preliminary information received from the Bulgarian Embassy in Moscow indicates that the detention is on suspicion of committing a crime under Article 159, paragraph 3 of the Russian Criminal Code, which concerns fraud committed through deception or abuse of trust. The identity of the detainee has not been released, and the circumstances leading to her arrest remain unclear. The Embassy is closely monitoring developments and is in contact with both the relevant Russian authorities and the detainee’s family.

This case follows a recent arrest and sentencing of another Bulgarian citizen, Rositsa Georgieva, a 32-year-old resident of Russia’s Volgograd region. Georgieva was sentenced to three years in a general-regime penal colony for her pro-Ukrainian comments on Telegram, made in March and November 2024, regarding the Russian Volunteer Corps fighting with Ukraine. She was charged with “justification of terrorism,” and her sentence has not yet come into effect.

The latest detention occurs against the backdrop of Russia’s recent withdrawal from the Convention against Torture and its earlier exit from the Council of Europe. These moves have prompted European courts to increasingly refuse extraditions to Russia, as the country no longer recognizes the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

The MFA continues to follow the situation closely and maintain contact with Russian institutions and the families of those detained.