It is a public secret that among the people expelled from the Russian embassy in 2022, suspected of espionage, there was a Bulgarian agent. Moscow did not know about this person. Russian influence in our country is greatly overestimated, said political analyst Slavi Vassilev in the studio of "Hello, Bulgaria" on Nova TV.
We recall that in June 2022, during the term of Kiril Petkov as Prime Minister, Bulgaria took an unprecedented diplomatic step by declaring 70 employees of Russian diplomatic missions persona non grata. This was the largest expulsion of Russian diplomats in the country's history and significantly reduced the number of Russian diplomatic personnel in Bulgaria.
Does Bulgarian journalist Dilyana Gaitandzhieva have connections with Russian services? This question arose in society after the allegations of Hristo Grozev and Roman Dobrokhotov about her relations with the GRU. She denies it and insists that her investigations are based on documents and public information. According to Grozev, however, the reporter carried out orders for one of the departments of the Russian GRU, which is behind disinformation channels and espionage schemes.
Slavi Vassilev believes that the argumentation of investigative journalists is superficial. "The penetration of the unprotected GRU servers is implausible. Do you think they can be so easily accessible? Based on unproven allegations, to anathematize a Bulgarian journalist with very serious investigations into the supply of our weapons that ended up in Syria seems wrong to me. On Sunday I spoke with Dilyana Gaitandzhieva, she said that she herself came across the trail of using diplomatic flights to export weapons. She sounded convinced and frank, I firmly believe that she was slandered. There is no pro-Putin in Bulgaria, the president is pro-Bulgaria", the analyst commented.
The conversation around Dilyana Gaitandzhieva and the accusations against her of connections with Russian services and spreading Kremlin propaganda in Bulgaria flared up after she was included in the Ukrainian website “Mirotvorets“. This website defines her as an “agent of Russian services“ and classifies her investigations as “Russian propaganda“ and “conspiracy theories“
Media expert Georgi Lozanov believes that the ties with the Russian services should be clarified.
"There is no way that the regime in Moscow is better than democracy - this is a purchased position. There are journalists whose positions are motivated by Russian intelligence, and they should be subject to sanctions. Grozev made an authoritative impression with his film about Navalny, so I am inclined to think that he would not abuse it, allowing his name to suffer by disseminating information without evidence. Propaganda happens by inciting fear and hatred. People are massively dissatisfied with their lives - and then it is important to point a finger at you and generate hate," Lozanov pointed out.
The latest investigation into Hristo Grozev revealed a large-scale espionage operation directed against him and his colleague Roman Dobrokhotov, organized by a group of Bulgarians acting in favor of Russian intelligence services. According to the British prosecutor's office, Grozev was the main target of this spy cell, with plans including kidnapping and even murder.
The surveillance of Grozev began immediately after the publication of the investigation into the poisoning of Alexei Navalny on December 14, 2020. Then the members of the spy group began coordinated actions, including surveillance, attempts to penetrate his personal space and developing plans for kidnapping. One of the methods discussed by the group is the use of a "honey loop" via a fake Facebook profile created by a member of the group to establish close contact with the journalist.