This archive report was first published on 5 November 2019.
On November 4, 2019, Russian President Vladimir Putin awarded Bulgarian activist Nikolay Malinov, accused of espionage, with a prestigious award at the Kremlin's Unity Day ceremony.
Malinov, a former lawmaker and head of the pro-Russia non-governmental organization Rusofili, is accused of collaborating with the Kremlin's Russian Institute for Strategic Studies (RISS) and another Russia-based organization.
He faces up to 15 years in jail if convicted. Bulgarian authorities claim Malinov regularly traveled to Russia to meet with RISS chief Leonid Reshetnikov, who has been banned from entering Bulgaria for 10 years.
Malinov's award has sparked tensions between Bulgaria and Russia, with Bulgarian prosecutors charging him with espionage and banning his alleged Russian handler from entering Bulgaria.
Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied that the award would harm ties between the two countries, stating, "This would be illogical and have very negative consequences."
