Overview

• Interior minister Daniel Mitov says his government has evidence that Russia’s foreign intelligence service has direct links to criminal gangs moving migrants into the EU.
• He alleges operatives identify weak points on Bulgaria’s Turkey frontier and advise migrants on exploiting EU and UK asylum systems to avoid removal.
• UK foreign secretary Yvette Cooper calls hostile state involvement a serious and growing threat and pledges specialist equipment, intelligence sharing and training for Bulgarian forces.
• The NGOs No Name Kitchen and Mission Wings deny collusion with smugglers and cite compliance with law, as authorities report investigations into individuals are under way.
• Leaders meet in London this week to tighten cooperation on the Western Balkans route and discuss potential ‘return hubs’, while the UK reports 16 further returns to France under the one‑in, one‑out deal.