site.btaMedia Review: February 4

OVERVIEW

All media report on the criminal investigation into the case of the three dead bodies found in a burnt hut in the Western Balkan Mountains.

CRIME

The front-page articles of Trud and Telegraf dailies report that a sect or paedophilia might be behind the three dead bodies found at the Petrohan Lodge. Trud has a detailed report on the scandal involving a children’s extreme sports and outdoor adventure school, suspected of being a front for a paedophile network, which operated out of the lodge in the Western Balkan Mountains, which was reportedly guarded by heavily armed men. One hypothesis under investigation is ritual suicide by the three men, but this theory cannot be confirmed until lodge owner Ivo Kalushev is found.

On Monday, three men were found dead inside the burned lodge, each killed by a single gunshot to the head. Although the building had been set on fire and the bodies showed signs of burns, investigators determined that the gunshot wounds were the actual cause of death. Pistols were found near the bodies, and authorities are investigating whether the deaths could have been suicides or murders.

The lodge and the school, called Rouk, were owned by Ivaylo (Ivo) Kalushev, who founded the school in 1992. Kalushev is not among the dead and is now wanted nationwide. Shortly before disappearing, he called his mother, saying that “something terrible was happening” and that he might not survive. Kalushev previously lived in Mexico, claimed to be a Buddhist lama, and presented himself as a spiritual figure.

The three dead men were members of a paramilitary NGO called the National Agency for Control of Protected Territories (NACPT), which had an official cooperation agreement with Bulgaria’s Environment Ministry starting in 2022. The association claimed to be a full member of the EUROPARC Federation and the International and European Ranger Federations (IRF and ERF). The organization claimed to protect forests and fight poaching but operated almost exclusively around Petrohan. Locals say the armed men intimidated hikers and villagers to keep them away from the area.

According to the Trud article, there were reports 4–5 years ago alleging sexual abuse of children in the Rouk school, which involved taking children into the mountains, caves, and camping trips. Complaints were filed with the prosecutor’s office and the child protection agency, but investigations stalled because parents refused to cooperate and children’s testimonies were unclear.

During searches of the lodge, investigators reportedly found evidence suggesting secret filming, including cameras possibly used to record minors. Authorities are also examining potential international connections to paedophile networks. Bulgaria’s State Agency for National Security (SANS) is involved in the investigation. The Mayor of Gintsi is quoted as saying that the first to enter the area on Monday were SANS officers, followed by detectives from Sofia, the Regional Directorate of the Interior Ministry, the police in Godech, who cordoned the area off.

Trud says environmental activists had long raised concerns about the group, including illegal fencing of public forest land, suspicious activities, and false claims of international affiliations. There are also suspicions that the group’s presence might have been linked to plans for gold mining in the protected area, Ivan Pandakov from the Balkanka Association, which first reported the irregularities around the Petrohan lodge four years ago, told Trud.

There are plans to mine gold in the Petrohan Pass area. “We suspected that this conspiracy with the NGO at the hut was related to that - after all, it is a protected area, and permits have been issued for gold mining exploration,” Pandakov added.

"For a short time, the organization had a website, which was closed. Their photos were fake, from American and Canadian websites, and the information was polished but incompetent, with incorrect terminology. One day we went to check it out. We got close to the Petrohan Lodge, no one stopped us, but it was fenced off with an electric fence covering a much larger area than the property itself. We reported it to all the institutions, starting with the Presidency, the Basin Directorate, the Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water, and the regional governors, because it was forest property that is public state property. The answer I received about the fences was that they were raising bees. Very often, such illegal fences are explained this way because there is a loophole in the Forestry Act. The Executive Forests Agency ordered the removal of the fences, after which the men went into hiding. But in the summer of 2024, I was summoned by the Commission for Anti-Corruption and Illegal Assets Forfeiture [in 2023 the Commission was divided in two] to testify. That's when I realized that there was some kind of investigation,” Pandakov said.

It is unclear how the Interior Ministry gave them permits to legally carry rifles and pistols, given that they were investigated for paedophilia, or potentially smuggling, or human or drug trafficking, given the lodge’s proximity to the Serbian border, the Trud report adds.

Former environment minister Borislav Sandov, who signed the cooperation agreement with the NGO, stated that the group had helped report environmental crimes and suggested that Kalushev himself might be a victim rather than a perpetrator, possibly even kidnapped.

***

Dnevnik.bg reports that on Tuesday evening, the Environment and Water Ministry announced that on June 26, 2025, it formally notified the NGO National Agency for Control of Protected Territories (NACPT) that it was unilaterally terminating their framework cooperation agreement.

The agreement had been signed on February 8, 2022, by then–environment minister Borislav Sandov and NACPT, represented by Ivaylo Ivanov. It envisioned cooperation in providing support for regulatory and control functions related to environmental protection and protected areas.

According to the Ministry, an internal review later found that the agreement had an unclear scope, lacked a proper legal basis, and did not define lawful procedures for delegating control functions over protected areas to a non-governmental organization. Because of these flaws, the Ministry considers the agreement legally void.

The Ministry stated that as early as September 2022, shortly after Sandov left office, it had already taken steps to halt all activities by NACPT based on the agreement and carried out multiple inspections to ensure no such activities were taking place.

The Ministry added that Ivaylo Ivanov refused to terminate the agreement by mutual consent. NACPT was also sent two formal notarized notices demanding that it remove references to its relationship with the Ministry from its website and cease related activities, but this reportedly did not happen.

Inspections conducted by the Sofia Regional Environmental Inspectorate in December 2022 and January 2023 found no evidence of unauthorized activities linked to the agreement. Specifically, inspectors reported no drone flights, no patrols with vehicles, no obstruction of hikers, and no violations of protection regimes in Natura 2000 areas. A further inspection took place in July 2024, though its results were not disclosed.

Finally, the Ministry reported that it had alerted the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office of Cassation in September 2022, which opened a case later forwarded to the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office. In October 2022, the Interior Ministry was also notified to conduct checks.

***

Former Interior Minister Ivan Demerdjiev commented on the murders near the Petrohan Lodge on Bulgarian National Television’s morning programme. According to him, the case most likely concerns national security due to the presence of the State Agency for National Security at the crime scene. Demerdjiev added that the Interior Ministry owes the public an explanation of what actually happened or what the most likely versions are. The former interior minister claimed that at present, 100% of domestic murder cases are solved but the percentage for contract killings is 0%.

POLITICS

Duma daily’s front-page article says GERB continues the farce with the “house book” (the list of eligible candidates to take up the post of caretaker prime minister). GERB-UDF proposed that President Iliana Iotova personally select a Member of Parliament to act as Prime Minister. The party would then support this individual as Chair of the National Assembly so they can be included in the "house book". This was intended to give the head of state more options. The publication deemed this proposal unconstitutional.

President Iotova reminded them that the choice of a new head of parliament lies entirely with the MPs. "This can in no way be my wish or recommendation, let alone the choice of a specific person, because I believe in the separation of powers," she told the GERB representatives. "I don't know how fair this is to you, Ms Nazaryan," Iotova told the current chair of the National Assembly, who had listened silently to GERB’s proposal. The President stated she will exercise her constitutional powers and assign a mandate to one of those who have agreed to become acting prime minister.

***

bTV’s morning programme interviewed Market Links polling agency’s Dobromir Zhivkov and Myara polling agency’s Parvan Simeonov regarding the choice of Andrey Gyurov as caretaker Prime Minister. According to Simeonov, Bulgarian National Bank Deputy Governor Gyurov is the best choice for the position, while the real question is who will be Interior Minister in his cabinet. Simeonov qualified this potential choice as an overture by President Iotova towards the Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria coalition. According to Zhivkov, the procedure for appointing a caretaker PM is not being unnecessarily delayed because the resignation itself took place on the eve of the Christmas and New Year holidays. "Elections are not held in winter. April may not be the most appropriate time, but no one expected us to hold elections in February or early March," he said. Zhivkov stated that the amendments to the Election Code related to the reduction of polling stations outside the EU restrict Bulgarian citizens abroad. Simeonov believes that the issue should be discussed more seriously.

***

Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) interviewed former Deputy Chair of the National Assembly and leader of Movement 21, which split from the United Left, Tatyana Doncheva. In the interview she said that there is an intellectual deficit in the Bulgarian Socialist Party and in the parliamentary group. Regarding the consultations about a caretaker PM and the "house book", Doncheva said: "Part of the house book is completely incompatible with the functions and competencies required to move people within the executive branch. It is absurd for the Bulgarian National Audit Office to lead the government, only to then return to the same institution for self-checking and auditing. The same applies to the ombudsman and Bulgarian National Bank management. I cannot imagine how GERB and the other inventors of the house book can reach a decision. If there are legally insurmountable issues, why did you vote for this text as head of the National Assembly, dear lawyer? What are we trampling on the Constitution for?”

According to her, four of the five candidates for caretaker prime minister are connected to Delyan Peevski. She added that the doubts about Andrey Gyurov as acting prime minister are well-founded but it is the lesser evil "than putting Peevski's blonde beauties in power".

***

Dnevnik.bg reports that during the liturgy at the Russian Church in Sofia on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the canonization of St. Archbishop Seraphim, Patriarch Daniil praised to Russian Ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanova "the living connection with ancient Russian piety and holiness," the Holy Synod and the Russian Embassy in Bulgaria announced. Dnevnik says that the service was attended by Russian Ambassador Mitrofanova, former Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, and the chair of the pro-Russian ABV party, Rumen Petkov [Petkov is a member of the Coalition Council of BSP-United Left and leader of the Alternative for Bulgarian Revival (ABV)]. According to the Patriarch, St. Seraphim is "yet another spiritual bridge between Orthodox Christians in Bulgaria and Russia, between our two millennia-old and inextricably linked spiritual traditions; yet another living link between our ancient Orthodox spirituality and ancient Russian piety and holiness."

***

The release of newly declassified Epstein files has revealed possible Bulgarian links to his global sex trafficking network, including models, a modelling agency, and alleged contacts with Bulgarian officials and royalty. In an interview with BNR, journalist Dimitar Stoyanov from bird.bg says the documents raise serious questions about compromising schemes, foreign intelligence involvement, and meetings with state officials, "perhaps we’re talking about crimes against the republic".

ECONOMY

Nova TV’s morning programme has an interview with former Deputy Prime Minister for the management of European Funds Atanas Pekanov. According to him, the situation with the Recovery and Resilience Plan is critical. "Of the remaining 84 measures under the fourth and fifth payments, which must be implemented this year, only one has been completed so far. The plan ends at the end of the summer, and what we have not done by then will simply be lost. There is a real risk that Bulgaria will lose a large part of these EUR 2.5 billion," Pekanov said. He pointed to the blocked reforms in the energy sector, the liberalization of the electricity market, and the cases surrounding coal-fired power plants as the main obstacles. Pekanov also explained why Bulgaria's credit rating has not improved, despite expectations following the adoption of the euro. "International investors and credit agencies are monitoring corruption and political instability. Instead of reforming the Anti-Corruption Commission, it was practically shut down. This cost us about EUR 350 million in frozen funds and sends bad signals abroad," he stressed.

***

Mediapool.bg reports that the European Central Bank (ECB) refuses to comment on the investigation into an alleged EUR 500 million money‑laundering scheme from Venezuela that passed through the Bulgarian Investbank. The institution’s reply is brief - “No comment. The ECB does not comment on individual banks.”

The investigation began back in 2019, following a US tip about large money transfers from Venezuela’s state oil company PDVSA, linked to Nicolas Maduro’s regime. Part of the transfers were carried out through trust (escrow) accounts held by a Bulgarian lawyer. No comments have been provided by the Bulgarian National Bank, Bulgaria’s State Agency for National Security, the US Department of Justice, or Investbank and no public results from the investigation have been announced to date.

***

Sega.bg reports that Bulgarian banks collected over BGN 2.3 billion in fees and commissions from their customers - individuals and companies - which is a 12% increase on an annual basis. The share of these revenues in the total net operating income of banks is also growing, exceeding 20%. This data comes from an analysis by the Bulgarian National Association Active Consumers. According to the NGO, the fees for monthly account maintenance, bank transfers and withdrawals from ATMs have steadily risen since December 2023. The organization is quoted as saying that banks charge a variety of different fees and it is extremely difficult to compare the prices of individual banking services which limits consumers' ability to make rational choices and reduces competition.

REGIONAL NEWS

Dnevnik.bg has an article titled "Too many cooks spoil the broth: who should clear the snow and ice from Sofia's sidewalks?" In it, the publication notes that when it snows, the sidewalks are cleared last. The owners and tenants of residential buildings and shops are responsible for removing snow and ice from outside their properties, as well as icicles, otherwise, a fine of EUR 25 is imposed. Waste disposal companies have a clause in their contracts for "clearing snow and ice from sidewalks", for which the municipality pays. However, this does not apply to all sidewalks, and the exact boundaries of responsibility are often unclear. Dnevnik gives an example of the sidewalks near the National Palace of Culture which are the responsibility of three different companies.

***

24 Chasa writes that directors, TV hosts and bankers are using low-income housing in Sofia and that the city’s stock of such housing has dwindled in 30 years, going from 120,000 to 7,000.

The newspaper quotes Lyubomir Gelkov, head of the housing department of Sofia municipality, who says that 190 current residents are simultaneously poor enough to use this housing but rich enough to qualify for EUR 50,000 loans to buy this housing. The average rent in such housing is BGN 150 (EUR 76.69) a month, though it depends on the borough and the type of construction. He reminds the readers that these apartments are intended for people with disabilities, physical and mental problems that preclude them from finding long-term employment. Many such people are stuck waiting over 5 years to qualify for such housing, while some current tenants have been occupying them for 30 years since there is no expiration date on their contracts. This loophole has been abused by wealthy residents who have occupied these apartments for years, proceed to buy them at below market prices and then sell them for massive profits. The article also interviews Traicho Traikov, mayor of Sredets borough in Sofia, who has proposed that the municipality take out a EUR 2 million loan to refurbish the current housing stock and build over 200 new apartments for socially and economically disadvantaged groups.

CULTURAL HERITAGE

BNR reports that archaeologists and restorers from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and Sofia University insist that the government's decision to allow the state-owned Ports Infrastructure company to manage a large part of the Sts Cyricus and Julitta Island near Sozopol be revoked. Their concern is that a yacht marina with tourist infrastructure and a lucrative parking lot will be built there.

Two weeks ago, Deputy Prime Minister Grozdan Karadjov announced that the cabinet had decided to return the island to the management of the Transport Ministry because, despite the intense seasonal tourist traffic, Sozopol does not have a specialized terminal for servicing tourist ships and is using the fishing port instead.

Sozopol Mayor Tihomir Yanakiev, expressed concern that commercial interests are behind the change. According to Bulgarian Ports Infrastructure Company Director General Stanislav Yordanov, "there is no intention to create a place with limited access for a certain group of people."

Archaeologists and restorers are also concerned. They believe that the island's future as a centre for culture, science, and education is in jeopardy and insist that the government's decision of January 21 be revoked.

In a statement, the Culture Ministry emphasised that the island is one of the most important archaeological sites in the country and that the museum complex will be administered by the Centre for Underwater Archaeology, which is in the advanced stages of becoming a UNESCO regional centre.