Russia’s ambassador to Bulgaria Eleonora Mitforanova will not be declared persona non grata over an outrageous statement by Pyotr Tolstoy, deputy chairman of the Russian State Duma that the Black Sea was Russian and Russia had to take control of it, Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov stated.

On Russian state TV, Tolstoy talked about Bulgaria and Romania as potential targets of a future Russian expansion, but to get there Russia must first “finish with Ukraine”. According to Pyotr Tolstoy, there were “citizens of ours” occupying the entire Bulgarian coastline and there would be no problems.

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In a comment on Tolstoy’s words that the large Russian community on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast can be stimulated to start demonstrations, the Bulgarian prime minister said he would contact the Foreign Ministry so they would convey a message to Eleonora Mitrofanova how unacceptable such statements are.