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On March 21, 2015, the Bulgarian state-owned Vazovo plant, which produces anti-tank and anti-missile equipment, was blown up by explosions, which were repeated here three weeks later.
During the same period, at least six Russians, believed to be GRU agents, regularly arrived and left Bulgaria.
GPS and flight tracking data collected by Bellingcat researchers show that another GRU agent arrived and left Bulgaria at a similar time, when in 2014, four more explosions were destroyed at factories producing similar equipment in various parts of the country. . One of them killed 15 people.
Bulgarian prosecutors have launched an investigation into all the blasts, but charges have only been brought against one of them, the devastated village of Gorni Lomo in October 2014.
The four defendants were later acquitted and there is no public information about the outcome of further investigations, according to the Bulgarian Free Europe Radio service.
After the Czech government blamed the GRU for the 2014 explosions at the ammunition depot, former Bulgarian Defense Minister Todor Tagarev called for the investigations to be reopened.
“The arms industry is dangerous, there are incidents. However, the manufacturing process is designed to minimize damage and consequences in the event of an accident. But six explosions in less than two years make it very suspicious, “he said.
“Given the influence of Russia in Bulgaria, the interests of Russia and that our policy of sale and re-export of arms sometimes goes against the interests of Russia, it does not seem illogical to me that Russia intervened,” Tagarev said.
Unexplained explosions
On February 28, 2014, an explosion broke out at the Arsenal weapons complex in Kazanlak, east of Sofia, partially destroying the gunpowder workshop. One person died.
On August 8, several people were injured in several explosions at the TEREM-Tsar Samuil military plant in Kostenece.
On October 1, the Gorni Lome plant was devastated by the explosion that claimed the most lives: 15 people were killed and two more were injured.
In late December, there was also an inexplicable explosion at a private munitions factory in Magliža, killing one person.
When explosions occurred in Bulgaria, tensions in eastern Ukraine rose dramatically: Russia occupied the Crimean peninsula and war broke out with Moscow-backed separatists in the east of the country.
At that time, the Ukrainian army was in a terrible state: there was a lack of organization, the soldiers were not properly trained, and there was a great lack of adequate weapons and equipment.
VIDEO: 15/15 special show from the front line in Ukraine: how much can you expect Russia to pull out?
Bellingcat investigators say, based on flight data, that Russian citizen Vladimir Moiseyev, using the pseudonym Vladimir Popov, traveled to Bulgaria at least four times in 2014: in March, September, November and December, and once in 2015.
All these trips took place at a time similar to the explosions in several Bulgarian factories.
Montenegrin officials are looking for Moiseyev – he may be involved in a 2016 attempt to carry out a suspected GRU coup.
In February and April 2015, at least six other Russians suspected of being GRU agents traveled to and from Bulgaria, according to flight data. Denis Sergeyev traveled to Sofia under the pseudonym Sergei Fedotov and Sergei Lutenenkov on behalf of Sergei Pavlov.
Another alleged agent, Yegor Gordijenko, under the pseudonym Georgy Gorshkov, arrived in the city of Burgo in the third week of April with D. Sergeyev.
During his visit to Bulgaria, arms dealer Emilian Gebrev suddenly became enigmatically ill and barely escaped death. Two more Bulgarians, including E. Gebrev’s son, also became seriously ill. Bulgarian investigators later announced that the businessman had been poisoned with unidentified material.
In 2019, Bulgarian investigators reopened an investigation into the E. Gebrev poisoning. It had five GRU agents and three Russians were later charged.
AFP / “Scanpix” nuotr./Emilianas Gebrevas
The ammunition that exploded in a Czech warehouse in 2014 is related to E. Gebrev, who is believed to have tried to sell weapons to Ukraine.
Gebrev himself denies this, but a former Ukrainian intelligence official confirmed to Radio Free Europe that Ukraine was working with a Bulgarian arms dealer at the time.
On April 17, the Czech Republic announced the expulsion of 18 Russian diplomats. According to Prague, Russian intelligence workers working under diplomatic cover are being expelled.
In response, the Russian Foreign Ministry declared 20 employees of the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Moscow undesirable.
Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Slovakia sent solidarity with the Czech Republic and sent diplomats.
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