Sofia, 10 October 2023 (dpa/MIA) - Bulgarian authorities arrested 12 people on charges of illegally selling restricted dual-use goods to Russia for its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

The products were allegedly shipped to Russian special forces units and Wagner mercenaries in Ukraine. Dual-use goods are products that have military uses but also have civilian applications, such as binoculars, drones or microchips.

The suspects are seven Bulgarian citizens, three Russians, an Albanian and a Belarusian, the Bulgarian prosecutor's office, the Interior Ministry and the national security agency DANS announced on Tuesday.

The accused are said to have brought goods worth more than 4 million lev ($2.2 million) to Russia - such as binoculars.

According to the report, the goods were purchased abroad, repackaged in the southern Bulgarian city of Plovdiv and sent to the Bulgarian capital Sofia before being delivered to Russia. The group had allegedly been active since 2021.

Arrests and searches had taken place in Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna on the Black Sea and in Veliko Tarnovo in northern Bulgaria.