BELGRADE, Serbia

Bulgaria on Friday detained six of its citizens in the capital Sofia accused of spying in favor of Russia.

Chief Public Prosecutor Ivan Gesev said six Bulgarian citizens, members of different government bodies, were detained for allegedly spying for Russia.

"We must be proud of our intelligence. We have not achieved such success since the communists came to power in 1944. Our intelligence is a source of honor," said Gesev.

Gesev noted that the detainees are soldiers and bureaucrats from the Defense Ministry, military intelligence, and other government bodies.

"We are not enemies of Bulgaria, we are patriots. We do not sell our country for coins. We love our homeland without hating any state," Gesev added.

The spokeswoman of the Office of the Chief Public Prosecutor, Siyika Mileva, said the head of the organization arrested by the operation was a former senior military intelligence officer and was trained in Moscow.

She added that the head of the organization is in contact with personnel who have access to confidential information in the Defense Ministry.

It was also noted that these six people have received money from Russian diplomats in an envelope.

Bulgaria had expelled six Russian diplomats by declaring them "persona non grata" on espionage charges.

Last December, Russia's Military Attache in Sofia Vasiliyi Sazanovic was deported.