Bulgaria and the three Baltic states announced the expulsion of a number of Russian diplomats in light of the ongoing war in Ukraine, due to what they said were activities contrary to their diplomatic status.
The Bulgarian Foreign Ministry said on Friday that it had declared 10 Russian diplomats "persona non grata" and gave them 72 hours to leave the country.
The ministry added in a statement that Prime Minister Kirill Petkov had been consulted about the expulsion, and the Russian ambassador in Sofia had been informed of the decision.
For its part, the Russian embassy in Bulgaria said that the expulsion of its diplomats was a "clear aggressive step by the Bulgarian leadership," and stressed that Moscow would respond.
The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman also stated that Moscow would "respond to all expulsions of its diplomats."
This is the second wave of expulsion of Russian diplomats from Bulgaria since the start of the Russian war on Ukraine. On March 2, Bulgaria expelled two Russian diplomats for allegedly being involved in espionage.
Bulgaria was Moscow's closest ally during the Cold War, but is now a member of the European Union and NATO, and it has condemned Russia's war on Ukraine.
In conjunction with Bulgaria's decision, the three Baltic states (Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia) announced the expulsion of 10 Russian diplomats in total.
Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevix said on Twitter that his country "is expelling 3 employees of the Russian embassy for activities contrary to their diplomatic status, and in light of the ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine."
Rinkevix indicated that the decision was taken in coordination with Lithuania and Estonia, and the foreign ministries of the two countries reported the expulsion of 4 and 3 Russian diplomats, respectively.