The Bulgarian State Agency for National Security (SANS) has issued an expulsion order against a Russian couple who created biographies and documents of "Bulgarian citizens" under false names in order to carry out further espionage activities.

According to BGNES, the Head of the SANS signed an order on 26 February banning Russian citizens Vladimir Gorochkin, originally from Kaliningrad Oblast, and his wife Tatiana Gorochkina, originally from Saratov Oblast, from entering and residing in the EU for five years, due to evidence of their activities against Bulgaria's security interests.

Turns out that the Gorochkin couple had been living in Bulgaria for some time as alleged citizens of the country under the names of Denis Rashkov and Diana Rashkova.

SANS received information that Vladimir Gorochkin and Tatiana Gorochkina are illegal intelligence agents and were involved in the activities of the Russian foreign intelligence service to place their agents in foreign countries under false names.

The counterintelligence agency believes that the Gorochkins' task at the current stage of their activities was to obtain all the necessary Bulgarian documents and work out a "cover biography" in order to carry out espionage activities outside Bulgaria under these names.

Bulgaria has also recently searched one of its Interior Ministry departments on suspicion of an employee spying for Russia.