Sofia City Court has ruled that Russian-French businessman Nikolai Kobliakov is to be placed under house arrest.

The ruling comes after Bulgarian authorities received a request for Kobliakov's extradition sent by Moscow.

Kobliakov was detained at Sofia Airport just before entering Bulgarian territory on July 31.

He was placed into custody for 72 hours but was later released on recognizanse.

The businessman co-heads the human rights organization Russie-Libertes based in France where he lives in exile since fleeing Russia in 2010.

Moscow issued a red notice for him in 2013, with its prosecuting authority accusing him of having obtained the rights to collect the receivables of a French entity in a fraudulent manner. Prosecutors say he managed, alongside accomplices, to drain some EUR 1.2 M from the company.

His Bulgarian lawyer Bilyana Kotsakova maintains the charge against him is vague and does not state clearly enough his perpetration. Kobliakov has pledged to provide assistance to Bulgarian authorities.

He claims actions of Moscow against him are politically motivated.

The website Dnevnik.bg quoted him as saying that the "regime [he is] fighting... is a real threat to the entire Europe".

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