site.btaYes, Bulgaria Co-Chair Mirchev: It Seems Peevski Will Buy Lukoil Neftochim Burgas Refinery with Billions from Bulgarians’ Money

Yes, Bulgaria Co-Chair and Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria MP Ivaylo Mirchev said on Tuesday that it appears that MRF - New Beginning Floor Leader Delyan Peevski will buy the Lukoil Neftochim Burgas refinery using billions belonging to Bulgarian citizens. Quoted by his party’s press centre, Mirchev said that Yes, Bulgaria has from the very beginning advocated for seeking an appropriate Western investor to purchase the refinery, stressing that several potential buyers have been interested since January 2025, as the refinery is one of the most modern in the region.

"This government can set aside about BGN 7 billion to buy the Lukoil Neftochim Burgas refinery - EUR 2 billion are additional guarantees, and together with what is available in the Bulgarian Development Bank, the amount reaches roughly BGN 7 billion. It is entirely unclear what degree of transparency will be ensured and on what basis the state is deciding to allocate such an enormous sum," Mirchev said.

The MP warned that the sale of the Lukoil Neftochim Burgas refinery would effectively hand over to Peevski its annual turnover of BGN 9–10 billion. According to Mirchev, even a small portion of this amount would be sufficient to keep the current government in power.

"In the civilized world there is no country that takes back or purchases a refinery in such a manner. In neither Italy nor Germany have cases involving Russian refineries ended like this. This is particularly troubling in the context of our current governance, where it is clear that Peevski is the captain and everyone else simply follows his orders," he added.

Mirchev argued that "Peevski has shown that whatever he buys, he bankrupts". He noted: "This happened with Bulgartabac, with Lafka, and the Corporate Commercial Bank theft cost Bulgarian citizens BGN 4.7 billion. Now the billions will likely be even more, because after we buy the refinery, we will then have to cover the losses generated by the price at which crude oil will be sold to the refinery, and later the fuels will be purchased again."

The Yes, Bulgaria co-chair called on all citizens to join Wednesday’s protest against the draft state budget, scheduled for 6 p.m. on Independence Square in Sofia.