Bulgarian authorities announced Monday that they had imposed an entry ban on two Russian nationals, alleging that they had set up false identities in order to engage in espionage. In the statement, they said that Vladimir Nikolayevich Gorochkin and Tatiana Anatolievna Gorochkina have been banned from entry and residence in the territory of any member state of the EU.

The announcement went on to say that the government banned the nationals because there was evidence to show that they were acting against the security of Bulgaria. It alleges that the two Russians had been presenting themselves as Bulgarian citizens under the assumed names of Denis Rashkov and Diana Rashkova. Information suggests that they are spies for the Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation, attempting to carry out foreign espionage. The authorities believe they have left the country, although their whereabouts are uncertain.

Bulgaria has been attempting to distance itself from Russia in recent years and has backed the sanctions against the country since its invasion of Ukraine. Russian espionage is an ongoing concern in the Balkan nation. In 2021, it detained six individuals in the capital, Sofia, due to their alleged involvement in espionage, including three people from its own Defence Ministry. In 2022, it expelled 70 Russian diplomatic staff over concerns that they were spying for the Russian intelligence services under the cover of diplomatic work. More recently, in early February 2024, it arrested a staff member from its own interior ministry on charges of engaging in espionage for Russia.