UKRAINE PEACE TALKS AND BLACK SEA SECURITY
Dnevnik reports that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is ready for direct negotiations with Russia and the United States to end the war, following talks in Oslo with US special envoy Steve Witkoff, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. Jared Kushner joined the meeting remotely. Zelensky expects to speak with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio within 48 hours, while Witkoff is due to meet Russian officials in St Petersburg. Støre said progress had been made on territorial status, security guarantees, sanctions and reconstruction. Zelensky proposed a possible trilateral meeting of leaders to resolve issues requiring decisions at the highest level. He also confirmed that the United States had resumed sharing intelligence with Ukraine.
24 Chasa reports that three NATO teams are assisting Bulgaria following two drone attacks on commercial vessels near Bulgarian waters in the Black Sea. A US P-8 Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft arrived in Varna on October 18 and conducted a mission over the western Black Sea. According to Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov, the aircraft is helping monitor activity that could pose a security risk. Another NATO team is examining debris found aboard the vessel Chelsea 3, which was hit on October 13, and analysing the explosive material used in the drone. Prime Minister Rumen Radev said Bulgaria had mobilised its surveillance and response capabilities and that there was no indication of disruption to commercial shipping.
Mediapool reports that NATO will deploy additional maritime surveillance aircraft, radar systems and drones to the Black Sea following a series of drone attacks on vessels in the region. The alliance has not yet established responsibility for the attacks, although military analysts cited by the publication consider Russia the most likely perpetrator. NATO is also sending intelligence personnel to conduct forensic assessments of explosive material. At least seven sailors were reported missing after two chemical tankers were hit near Romania, while further vessels were struck near the Romanian and Bulgarian coasts.
PROTEST AGAINST CABINET’S FOREIGN POLICY
Mediapool reports that hundreds of people gathered in Sofia to protest against the government of Prime Minister Rumen Radev, under the slogan “Your ‘peace’ is capitulation! Your ‘diplomacy’ is isolation!” The organisers argued that diplomatic efforts must not come at the expense of Bulgaria’s defence capabilities. Among the people behind the initiative were former Defence Minister Todor Tagarev, former Environment Minister Borislav Sandov, former MPs and representatives of civil society organisations.
Opposition politicians from Continue the Change and Democratic Bulgaria also attended. Continue the Change leader Assen Vassilev criticised the government over its response to the Black Sea incidents and accused it of failing to protect the country’s security. Tagarev said the authorities’ reluctance to identify the perpetrator was preventing an adequate response, arguing that the available information pointed to Russia. Journalist Georgi Angelov also called for a clear position from the Bulgarian authorities and criticised what he described as self-censorship and insufficient professional preparation in parts of the media.
The protest took place peacefully under heightened police security. Participants called for Bulgaria to act in line with its NATO and EU allies and support Ukraine in achieving a just peace. Mediapool also reports that young doctors held a separate protest outside the Health Ministry, demanding healthcare reform, better working conditions and adequate pay.
HEALTHCARE FUNDING AND YOUNG DOCTORS’ PAY
Trud quotes Prime Minister Rumen Radev as saying that healthcare funding in the 2027 budget will increase by about EUR 500 million. He said additional funds would be provided for the National Health Insurance Fund, the National Children’s Hospital, higher salaries for young doctors and improved career opportunities. Radev also called for stronger prevention and tighter controls on abuses involving disability assessments, clinical pathways, medicines and sick leave. He said that 880,000 Bulgarian citizens currently have disability assessments.
Health Minister Katya Ivkova said proposed regulatory changes would provide a salary of EUR 1,550 for medical residents in state-funded positions. She said she was in dialogue with young doctors, acknowledged their demands and supported their right to protest, while warning against the politicisation of their campaign. Ivkova also said a digital system for assessing the quality of medical care was being developed.
Duma covers the young doctors’ protest outside the Health Ministry. Organiser Beloslava Tomova told BTA that the demonstrators had yet to see sufficient progress on their demands, including digitising the residency placement process and securing decent pay for healthcare professionals. She said newly graduated doctors often work under heavy workloads for monthly salaries of EUR 700–1,000. Another organiser, Daniel Kiprov, called for a single transparent online portal through which all healthcare facilities would be required to publish residency opportunities and conditions.
REVISED GDP DATA INDICATE SLOWER GROWTH
Capital reports that a major revision by the National Statistical Institute has lowered the estimated average annual real GDP growth for 2018–2025 to 2.6%, from 2.9%. The economy’s nominal size, however, has been revised upwards by a total of about EUR 2.1 billion over the period.
For 2025, real growth was revised down to 3% from 3.1%, while nominal GDP was raised by more than EUR 500 million to EUR 116.5 billion. The largest downward revisions concern 2021, when growth was revised to 6.1%, and 2022, when it was lowered to 3.3%. Capital notes that stronger nominal figures alongside slower real growth indicate that price increases accounted for a larger share of the expansion than previously estimated. The revision could also affect forecasts for 2026 and 2027, although the expected impact is considered relatively small.
PRESIDENTIAL PARDONS COMMISSION – TRANSPARENCY
Mediapool reports that a lack of quorum forced the cancellation of the second extraordinary parliamentary sitting scheduled for Wednesdayto discuss the case of Ognyan Atanasov, a convicted drug trafficker known as Escobar, after most MPs from Progressive Bulgaria were absent. Earlier, the party had also boycotted amendments that would have required the publication of all presidential pardons granted since 1991.
The hearing was also expected to include the head of the Medical Services Sector at the General Directorate for the Execution of Sentences. Other invitees included the doctor who prepared or signed the medical opinion used to justify the pardon, the head of the State Agency for National Security (SANS), the chair of the President’s Pardons Commission, the Interior Ministry’s chief secretary, the director of the General Directorate for Combating Organised Crime and the director of the specialised hospital at Sofia Prison.
The hearing was intended to establish the circumstances surrounding the preparation, verification and submission of medical documents, as well as the information about Atanasov’s conduct that was taken into account when he was pardoned by Presidential Decree No. 119 of December 5, 2022. MPs were also expected to seek answers about how an incident on November 16, 2022, was documented, and whether doctors and their relatives had been subjected to pressure or threats.
The inquiry was also to examine possible links between Atanasov and SANS and the Interior Ministry, as well as the actions taken in connection with the case.
The previous attempt to hold a hearing, on October 13, also failed for lack of a quorum. Opposition representatives then accused the governing parties of avoiding scrutiny of the case and shielding President Iliana Iotova.
Earlier in October, Mediapool published video footage from the prison hospital showing Atanasov, known as Escobar, fighting with another inmate and apparently in good physical condition. The fight took place just two weeks before Iotova pardoned him on the grounds that he was in very poor health.
Iotova, who is now seeking her first full presidential term, said the footage had been withheld from her and announced that she had requested an investigation into why she had not seen it. Mediapool subsequently reported that the prison administration had not provided the recording to the President’s Pardons Commission.
Iotova pardoned Atanasov on the grounds that his “health condition posed a danger to the petitioner’s life, and it would constitute inhuman treatment for him to remain in prison.” The decree commuted 10 years of his sentence, based on an expert assessment that continued imprisonment would endanger his life.
Progressive Bulgaria has so far rejected all opposition proposals for measures in response to the Escobar case, including publishing all presidential pardon decrees in the State Gazette. The governing party maintains that the opposition’s actions are driven by election campaigning. The opposition Continue the Change party, meanwhile, says the benefits of publishing the pardon decrees for all prisoners are “clear to everyone.”
Capital criticises the Presidency for providing only initials instead of the full names of members of the presidential Pardons Commission in response to a request under the Access to Public Information Act. The publication says the Presidency cited personal-data protection, while a similar request by Sega journalist Doreteya Dachkova had received copies of appointment and dismissal decrees. Capital quotes Access to Information Programme lawyer Alexander Kashumov as saying that the refusal was unjustified because the names of people performing public functions are not protected personal data in this context.
The article links the transparency dispute to questions surrounding the pardon granted to Ognyan Atanasov, a convicted drug trafficker from Petrich. It refers to a video published by Mediapool that allegedly shows Atanasov involved in a fight at a prison hospital 19 days before then-Vice President Iliana Iotova signed the pardon decree. Capital challenges claims that responsibility for concealing information about the incident lay with former Deputy Justice Minister Emil Dechev, arguing that he no longer held the prison portfolio at the time. The publication says the lack of access to the pardon file and the commission’s findings has fuelled conflicting claims and leaves questions about the decision unanswered.
ASSEN VASSILEV CRITICIZES BUDGET, PRESIDENTIAL PARDON DECISIONS
In an interview with bTV, Continue the Change leader Assen Vassilev criticised the government’s 2027 budget proposals, the Presidency’s handling of pardon cases and changes at the Customs Agency. He said his party had submitted a petition with more than 34,000 signatures calling on President Iliana Iotova to veto the 2026 budget law, and argued that the Constitutional Court had upheld the party’s objections to several provisions. Vassilev also questioned the Presidency’s handling of pardons granted to convicted drug traffickers, calling for greater transparency about the individuals involved.
On the budget, Vassilev argued that the proposed measures would increase the tax burden by more than EUR 2 billion in the coming year. He criticised proposed taxes on food vouchers, higher property tax valuations, a tax on higher-powered new cars and a windfall-profit tax, which he said could be difficult to collect and send a negative signal to businesses. He also alleged that a unit responsible for post-clearance customs control was being closed again, warning that this could undermine efforts to collect taxes and prevent fraud. He cited a previous case involving Chinese cargo imported through the Port of Varna that, according to his account, cost the state EUR 55 million in lost revenue.
Vassilev criticised the proposed child tax reliefs for differentiating between first, second and third children, arguing that the allowance should be equal for every child. He also questioned the practicality of tax relief for extracurricular activities, saying that requiring parents to retain receipts and submit documents could make the measure cumbersome. He proposed a model in which schools receive funding to organise sports and arts activities directly.
The opposition leader further criticised the government’s approach to the minimum wage, saying it would rise to EUR 660 rather than the EUR 690 he believed was needed. He also accused Radev of inconsistency in his stance on Bulgaria’s security and relations with political figures he has previously criticised. The claims and assessments in the interview were presented as Vassilev’s position.
CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS IN SUNGURLARE AND BELITSA
Bulgarian National Radio reports that Prime Minister Rumen Radev linked the detention of Sungurlare (Southeast Bulgaria) Mayor Dimitar Gavazov to an alleged corruption scheme, saying that Delyan Peevski and Boyko Borissov were losing control over public funds. Police and investigators from SANS and the General Directorate for Combating Organised Crime entered the municipal building and seized documents relating to public procurement and financial transactions. BNT reports that investigators are examining how contracts were awarded and implemented, their value, payments made and whether the work corresponded to the sums paid. Possible fictitious reporting of completed work and irregularities in contractor selection are also being examined. Gavazov was taken to the Burgas police after questioning; at the time of the reports, it was unclear whether charges would be brought.
NOVA reports a separate specialised police operation in the southwestern town of Belitsa. Officers from the General Directorate for Combating Organised Crime and SANS searched the home of Mayor Radoslav Revanski and the municipal building, seizing documents. The operation reportedly concerns public procurement linked to the Road Infrastructure Agency and EU-funded projects.
KNIFE ATTACK SYRIAN SUSPECT DETAINED
Sega reports that police in Plovdiv detained a 23-year-old Syrian national suspected of stabbing two young men, aged 18 and 19, near the National Palace of Culture in Sofia on October 16. The suspect, who reportedly resides in Bulgaria with humanitarian status, was found at an address in Plovdiv and handed over to Sofia police along with evidence seized during a search. Pre-trial proceedings have been opened on suspicion of causing minor bodily harm with hooligan motives.
REVOLUT SERVICE INTERRUPTION
Dnevnik reports that Revolut’s services became available again shortly before 9 p.m. Bulgarian time on Tuesday after an interruption that left users unable to access the application or make payments. The disruption followed an outage at Google Cloud, which Reuters said affected financial companies and public-sector websites. Google said its engineering teams had fully restored services after a power-related problem at a London-based network of data centres and availability zones serving customers across Europe.
Sega also reports that the Google Cloud outage affected Revolut and that banks in Germany, England and Scotland experienced problems. Capital likewise covers the interruption.
Media Review: October 21 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-10-21 10:16:51
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