Bulgaria Expels Russian Diplomats, Blocks Bank Transfer to Russian Embassy

An airplane from the Rossiya Special Flight Squadron stands on the tarmac waiting to collect Russian diplomats and their families who were expelled from Bulgaria, at Sofia Airport, on July 3, 2022. Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP via Getty Images

Bulgaria has blocked a bank transfer worth some $890,000 to the Russian embassy because of EU sanctions, Finance Minister Assen Vassilev said on Wednesday, several days after Sofia expelled 70 Russian diplomatic staff from the Balkan country.