Bulgaria expelled the head of the Russian Orthodox Church in Sofia and two Belarusian priests on Thursday, accusing them of serving Moscow’s geopolitical interests, a move Russia called “diabolical,” AFP reported.

The National Security Agency announced the deportation of the three men, identifying them only by their initials and nationality, and a five-year entry ban.

The men are accused of implementing “Russia’s hybrid strategy aimed at influencing social and political processes in Bulgaria in favor of the interests of the Kremlin,” the report says.

In a message published on Facebook, the Russian Embassy said that among them was the representative of the Russian Orthodox Church in Sofia, Archimandrite Vassian.

Ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanova added: “This case is unprecedented,” the fruit of an “evil spirit,” in a video broadcast by the official TASS news agency.

In Moscow, the spokeswoman for Russian diplomacy, Maria Zakharova, declared “outrage and shock”.

“This once again shows” that the pro-European government currently ruling Bulgaria “has set out to destroy not only political contacts at the state level, but also cultural and humanitarian ties between our peoples,” she wrote in the message.

The Russian Church of St. Nicholas, “which for years was a place of joint prayer of Russians and Bulgarians, will now be closed,” she added.

This beautiful iconic structure with golden domes and colorful tiles, located in the center of Sofia, also attracts many tourists.

A member of the EU and NATO, a Slavic and Orthodox country, Bulgaria is historically and culturally close to Moscow. But relations have been strained since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

In June 2022, Sofia announced the expulsion of 70 employees of Russian diplomacy.