Russian "diplomats" took furniture and bathroom fittings from Consulate General in Bulgaria after its 2022 closure – photo

An inspection of the building of the former Russian Consulate General in the Bulgarian city of Ruse, which the Russians left in June 2022, has found that the building has suffered significant damage: door frames have been damaged, and taps, sinks and kitchen equipment stolen.

Source: Ventsislav Ilyev, the building’s architect, on Bulgarian National Radio (BNR), as reported by European Pravda

Details: The building in Ruse, which housed the diplomatic mission of the Soviet Union and then Russia, is owned by the municipality. Since 1985, the building has been rented out and the rent was paid to the city budget. Russian diplomatic staff left the consulate building in Ruse after their expulsion from Bulgaria in the summer of 2022.

"Yesterday I decided to go and see what was going on. I was surprised to see that door frames were missing and thought that the municipality had removed them. On the second floor, where residential apartments are located, lots of things have gone missing. Even sink taps have been removed in some rooms," Ilyev said.

"Let me summarise to make it clear: when leaving Ruse, diplomats tore out doors, taking with them storage boxes, sinks, beds, and other furniture and kitchen equipment – things that few people would think to take with them," Ilyev added.

After Ilyev’s discovery, City Council member Russe Dejan Gerasimov called for the creation of a commission to study "all the leases for this property".

"I would advise the Russian Federation to take the monument to the Soviet Army that stands next door with them as well," Gerasimov was quoted as saying by the 24chasa (24hours) portal.

On the evening of 19 January, the Russian Embassy in Bulgaria commented on the information about the damage done to the building, claiming that its staff left Ruse in July 2022 "without any trouble".

"We do not know what happened in the building over the past year and a half, it was beyond our control. The relevant Bulgarian services are responsible for the condition of the building, and questions on this matter should be addressed to them," a Russian official told Novini.bg.

Previously: Last month, BNR stopped a live broadcast of an interview with Russian Ambassador to Bulgaria Eleonora Mitrofanova.

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