by Krassen Nikolov
The Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Bulgaria’s largest Black Sea city, Varna, was closed by government decision in October 2022 but continues to operate undercover in the premises of the pro-Russian Bulgarian Socialist Party office in the city.
The activities of the closed consulate are supported by Russian citizens who actively spread pro-Kremlin propaganda through their Facebook accounts, according to news website Dnevnik, a Euractiv partner.
In June last year, Bulgaria declared 70 diplomats and staff of Russian diplomatic missions in the country persona non grata. The list included almost everyone working at the consulate in Varna, including Consul General Vladimir Klimanov.
On Monday, the pro-European Yes Bulgaria party, part of the PP-DB coalition, the second largest parliamentary force, referred the case to the State Agency for National Security.
Yes, Bulgaria MPs stressed that the provision of consular services at a party headquarters contradicted the principle of political non-alignment of diplomatic missions. If the media revelations are confirmed, they insist on an investigation and on taking the necessary legal measures.
A Euractiv check showed that the state handed over the building of the Russian consulate in Varna to the local municipality to make way for a kindergarten, leaving Russia without an official building in the city.
The local organisation of the Bulgarian Socialist Party in Varna then made its office available for the unofficial continuation of the consulate’s activities, which had previously been closed because they threatened Bulgaria’s national security.
Information published on social networks linked the continuation of the Russian consulate’s work to the president of the Russian Club in Varna, Marina Nacheva. She refuses to comment on her activities in Varna and refers all questions to the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Sofia".
Dnevnik contacted Luisa, whose phone number is listed on the "Russian Speakers in Varna" page under the message that consular services have resumed in the city. She confirmed that consular services are being provided at the premises of the Bulgarian Socialist Party.
"People come here in connection with a passport, and pensioners also come. And the only building as a premise that accepts them is the BSP building. They still have to accept somewhere, but that could change. There is no contract, there is nothing. It’s just human help, bye-bye!" said Luisa, quoted by Dnevnik.
Before Russia invaded Ukraine in 2012, the Bulgarian tourist city of Varna was a popular investment destination for Russians, who bought thousands of apartments in the central parts of the city. After the war began, the Russians stopped selling, and more than 20,000 Ukrainian refugees from the southern parts of the country occupied by Kremlin troops arrived in their place.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party is among the possible future partners of the pro-European GERB party in forming a coalition government in Bulgaria, which is in a deep political crisis.
The party has made several demands of GERB: the pro-Russian party will not accept Bulgaria’s abandonment of coal, insists on the continuation of the pro-Russian project to build the Belene nuclear power plant with Russian reactors and opposes the liberalisation of the electricity market.
Since the start of the Russian invasion, the BSP has opposed all decisions by the Bulgarian authorities to provide military aid to Ukraine and has refused to support political statements condemning Putin’s actions.
Euractiv sent questions about consular services in Varna to the BSP press centre but has not received a reply.
*first published in: Euractiv.com
By: N. Peter Kramer
