Russian Ambassador: Journalist Christo Grozev wanted only in Russia

Speaking to journalists after emerging from a meeting she was summoned to at the Foreign Ministry here on Thursday, Russsian Ambassador to Bulgaria Eleonora Mitrofanova said that Bulgarian journalist Christo Grozev is only wanted in Russia. 

Grozev, a journalist of the international investigative website "Bellingcat", was declared wanted by Russia, TASS reported Monday. "He is wanted (for violating) an article of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation," the Russian Interior Ministry said in a statement. 

The fact that Grozev has been put on Russia's wanted list does not mean that he will be wanted across the world, Mitrofanova said, stressing that he can reside where he currently is. 

According to the Russian diplomat, nobody is threatening Grozev. "It's like they're telling him once again - "Don't come here anymore"," she said. "We agreed for the Bulgarian Interior Ministry to send an inquiry to the Russian Interior Ministry about information on the case with Christo Grozev," Mitrofanova explained. 

She said that the Russian Interior Ministry does not post any charges on its website. According to the procedure, each investigator who is working on a case and cannot find a specific person can declared them wanted. This is not even centralized information, which is why it's very important for the Bulgarian Interior Ministry to send an inquiry to the Russian Interior Ministry, so the latter can clarify the situation, Mitrofanova explained. 

Later in the day, the Bulgarian Interior Ministry told BTA that they will send a letter to the Russian Interior Ministry and ask for more information about the case concerning Christo Grozev. 

The Russian Ambassador described her meeting at the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry as constructive. "We discussed the question of teaching the Bulgarian language and the difficulties related to that in Zaporozhye oblast, Melitopol and other regions," she said. "We agreed for the whole information available in the Russian Ministry to be provided to us and a check will be conducted based on the lists of all schools where Bulgarian is taught," Mitrofanova said. 

She said that Russia is a multinational State, where some languages are taught, including Bulgarian. "Even in the Crimea, where Bulgarian is taught between grades 1 and 10. We encourage the teaching of national languages. As of now, there are no Bulgarian language teachers in those regions. Many people had to flee due to the military actions and the unpredictable situation. Many people and schools are working remotely," Mitrofanova added. 

According to the Russian Ambassador, Bulgarian-Russian relations have "practically degraded to a very low level". There are contacts with the Government concerning specific issues, but these contacts are irregular, she explained.