Bulgarian journalist Kristo Grozev of the well-known website Bellingcat has condemned the penetration of Russian intelligence services into Bulgaria, a country where he says he does not feel safe, EFE and Agerpres news agencies reported.
“I feel threatened if I return to Bulgaria. Our investigations show significant infiltration of Russian agents into the country. It is not safe for me to walk in my native Plovdiv (Bulgaria’s second largest city, 120 kilometers east of Sofia) or to walk along the seashore. I feel more at ease with my family in the country where I am,” Grozev said during a video conference against the background of the image of the parliament in Sofia.
Grozev is the chief investigator for Russia of the Bellingcat platform (an international investigative group), which supported the alleged involvement of Russian special services in the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and Russian dissident Alexei Navalny in Great Britain.
The 53-year-old journalist has been living in Vienna for several years, where he uses the protection of the Austrian security services. He was also involved in the investigation that identified two Russian servicemen involved in the downing of a Malaysia Airlines flight in eastern Ukraine in 2014, which killed 298 people.
He has won numerous international awards for his open source investigations and is known to have reliable sources of information in Russian intelligence services.
The journalist says that it is easier for Russian special services to work in Bulgaria
According to Grozev, Bulgaria is a key country for Russian spies because it is easy for them to find accomplices there.
“In Bulgaria, it is much easier to find accomplices and helpers because of the low standard of living in the country, and this activity is very cheap for them. This is a relatively easy place to penetrate, as people from the Russian special services told me,” he emphasized.
The journalist says he doesn’t know why Russia issued a search and arrest warrant for him last month, and believes the move poses a threat to those investigating cases linked to the Russian state.
“I still do not have any information about why I am wanted, and the only explanation is from the state news agency RIA Novosti, which claims that I would spread fake news about the Russian army,” says Grozev.
Why does Grozev believe that he was blacklisted by the Kremlin
Russian authorities banned investigative site Bellingcat in mid-July, ironically by its founder at the time, as it has no legal or financial presence in Russia.
“In this case, the question of my protection exceeds my personal interest, because for the first time the law intended for citizens of Russia applies to citizens of other countries, especially the European Union. This would be unprecedented and pose a great threat to all journalists,” he adds.
According to Grozev, he was likely blacklisted by the Kremlin after one of the latest investigations identified 33 Russian servicemen operating missiles that are killing people in Ukraine and destroying Ukrainian infrastructure.
“They (these soldiers) were sanctioned by the EU two weeks ago, and a few days later my name appeared on the list of wanted persons,” says a journalist of Bulgarian origin, quoted by EFE.
Source: Hot News
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