Once Best Friends, Bulgaria Takes a Stand Against Russia

A week after Russia invaded Ukraine, Moscow’s ambassador to Bulgaria climbed a snowy mountain pass to honor czarist-era Russian soldiers who died there fighting for Bulgarian independence in the 19th century.

Present day concerns, however, quickly eclipsed the ambassador’s effort to remind Bulgaria of the debt it owed Russia. On the same day, Bulgaria expelled two of her diplomatic underlings for espionage and announced the arrest of a senior military officer on charges of spying for Russia.

In the weeks since, Bulgaria, a country that Moscow long counted as its most ardent and reliable friend in Europe, has joined fellow members of the European Union in imposing ever tougher economic sanctions on Russia, offered to repair broken military helicopters and tanks for Ukraine, and expelled yet more Russian diplomats. Read more

@nytimes