Bulgaria imposes EU entry ban on 2 suspected Russian spies

Bulgarian authorities imposed an entry ban on two Russian citizens suspected of spying for Russia. They are barred from entering European Union member states for five years

The agency said in a statement that the couple had lived undetected in Bulgaria until recently under the aliases Denis Rashkov and Diana Rashkova. The statement indicated they were no longer in Bulgaria, but did not elaborate on when they had left the country, or indicate where they currently were believed to be.

According to the agency, the Russians were part of an operation orchestrated by the Moscow’s Foreign Intelligence Service aimed at infiltrating foreign countries using false identities. Their mission in the EU member country was reportedly to obtain authentic Bulgarian identity documents and credible biographical data confirming their authenticity, which they could then use to carry out intelligence activities outside Bulgaria.