News and comments on businessman Ilian Filipov’s murder, which occurred in the night between Tuesday and Wednesday, dominated the media on Thursday.
ILIAN FILIPOV’s MURDER
On Nova Television’s morning show, Bird.bg journalist Dimitar Stoyanov said the man detained in connection with the murder of businessman Ilian Filipov was well known to the Interior Ministry and was known to be systematically involved in thefts and robberies. There was also information linking him to contract killings, Stoyanov said. “First of all, let us note that we are speaking under the presumption of innocence. About 15 years ago, there was an allegation that he had taken an order to eliminate a person. However, it was never carried out because sufficient information about the existence of the order had been gathered and apparently leaked to the target. There was not even an attempt to murder. I do not want to disclose more information because it could be relevant to the current investigation, but there is such a pre-trial investigation. It has most likely been archived, but there are witnesses who are still alive. For a very long time, certain Interior Ministry officials were unwilling to uncover one crime or another,” Stoyanov added. He said all hypotheses were being investigated in Filipov’s shooting. “They may have had a personal relationship. It could have been a contract killing. It is also possible that the detainee has nothing to do with the case. However, he is undoubtedly associated with the circle of Christoforos Amanatidis-Taki and, above all, with Belingata. Until a few months ago, the detainee Slavcho Megerov and Filipov lived in the same place. At one point, Interior Ministry actions forced the detainee to leave Bulgaria. This happened after several successful raids on cash-in-transit facilities in Plovdiv and the surrounding area. He lived in Dubai for about two years. There has undoubtedly been tension between him and Filipov over the past three years,” the journalist said. According to him, Filipov’s murder had a personal motive. Stanislav Kronev, editor-in-chief of akcentnews.com, also believes there was probably a conflict between the victim and the detainee that began three or four years ago. “In fact, the genesis of this feud is much deeper. Taki’s name has frequently been associated with Plovdiv in recent years, and Petleshkov’s name always follows it,” Kronev said. Stoyanov explained that Ivan Petleshkov is a former Plovdiv General Directorate Combating Organized Crime officer. His name was linked to his role as a protected witness in a case in which it was alleged that Delyan Peevski and Ahmed Dogan had been the targets of extortion, Stoyanov said.
On bTV’s morning show, lawyer and criminologist Lyudmil Rangelov said there were “serious reservations as to whether the man detained in Sofia is the person who physically carried out the murder of Plovdiv businessman Ilian Filipov”. He said the detainee could turn out to be the “convenient person” to bear suspicion because of his extensive criminal record. Rangelov recalled that the man had been convicted and spent 11 years in prison for a murder committed when he was about 19. According to Rangelov, however, that crime resulted from an accidental fight rather than a premeditated murder. “There are no grounds to place particular emphasis on this part of his criminal past,” the lawyer said. He identified finding the murder weapon and collecting and analysing all security-camera footage as key to the investigation. Proving a possible link between the physical perpetrator and the person who ordered the killing would be extremely difficult, he said.
On bTV’s morning show, former Deputy Interior Minister Filip Gunev commented on one of the main theories – whether the murder could be linked to Ilian Filipov’s business. According to Gunev, international transport and logistics can generally be used by organised crime for trafficking drugs and other illegal goods. He also recalled a case from two years ago in which trucks linked to Filipov’s business were detected in connection with drug trafficking. The businessman himself denied any involvement at the time, saying that with a large fleet, individual drivers could commit violations.
On Bulgarian National Television’s (BNT) morning show, Executive Director of the Union of International Hauliers Yordan Arabadjiev commented on Filipov’s business career. “As far as transport is concerned, Ilian Filipov was a leader, a driving force behind a major part of the processes in the transport business,” he said. “But when you are one of the biggest, when you are a leader, when you defend the cause of the Bulgarian transport business, you inevitably make unpleasant people, and probably enemies, as well. But knowing him, I know that he was a big-hearted person,” Arabadjiev added.
On BNT’s morning show, security expert Tihomir Bezlov of the Centre for the Study of Democracy commented on the murder of Plovdiv businessman Ilian Filipov. According to Bezlov, the manner in which the suspected killer was detained and the way the crime was committed pointed more towards a conflict that had existed between the two, possibly over the company in which they had been partners. “But this is a very rough assumption because there has been no official statement on the detention, and these are primarily media comments and photographs. There are no details, such as the motive, what weapon was used or whether the weapon was found. There are some fragments in the media, for example that he switched off his phone. There is suspicion that the silhouette seen on camera differs from that of the person detained. There are many uncertainties,” he said.
POLITICS
On Nova Television’s morning show, Finance Minister Galab Donev said the wording of the bill on homemade rakia [local type of brandy] would be revised to prevent ambiguous interpretation. He said the proposed amendments aimed to prohibit the sale of homemade brandy produced using unclear methods at commercial establishments, restaurants, guesthouses and other venues. “No one will go from house to house looking for brandy,” Donev said. He clarified that the sanctions were aimed at people selling homemade alcohol, not those producing it for personal consumption. Giving brandy as a gift would not constitute a violation. The Finance Minister stressed that the bill was still at the public consultation stage and that the wording would be amended in response to the reactions received. Donev also commented on the proposal to tax banks’ excess profits. He described claims that the measure would necessarily lead to higher lending rates as “simply an assumption”. “Over the past five years, banks have increased their profits by 588%. This represents excess profit,” the Deputy Prime Minister said. He also said that Bulgaria’s accession to the euro area had enabled banks to release significant resources previously held as reserves with the Bulgarian National Bank. “A meeting with BNB Governor Dimitar Radev is forthcoming,” Donev added. He stressed that he would not abandon the idea of taxing banks’ excess profits. There is already a public dispute between the Finance Ministry and the BNB over the possible effects of the measure.
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Mediapool.bg reports on the Government’s decision to have state-owned Avtomagistrali install road guardrails under an in-house contract after a public procurement worth nearly EUR 500 million was terminated. The outlet notes that neither the Road Infrastructure Agency nor the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works has disclosed the value of the contract, while the Institute for Road Safety puts it at EUR 90 million, a figure that has neither been confirmed nor denied. Mediapool recalls that Prime Minister Rumen Radev had promised that contracts worth millions with the State would be signed in front of cameras. According to the outlet, Avtomagistrali has already purchased two machines for installing guardrails, with the prices paid not disclosed and the ranking of bidders in one of the procedures subsequently changed without explanation. The issue has also raised concerns over the quality of the company’s work after new guardrails were installed on a Hemus Motorway viaduct, with the Institute for Road Safety alleging missing anchor bolts and other deficiencies and describing the installation as potentially dangerous. The Regional Ministry invited media to inspect the site and has said that a working group is reviewing the regulatory framework for guardrails, including possible corporate interests or lobbying, but no results have yet been announced.
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In an interview with the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR), historian Prof. Plamen Pavlov described the return of Tsar Samuil’s remains to Bulgaria as “a victory for historical truth and historical justice”. He said the event should not be used for political purposes. “Ultimately, it truly demonstrates a triumph of science and a cultural approach to international relations,” he noted. Pavlov also criticised North Macedonia’s tone, which he said was unacceptable and had continued for years. “This is simply another outburst of anti-Bulgarian hysteria, on which this regime essentially feeds and survives.”
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In an interview with 24 Chasa, MEP Andrey Kovatchev (GERB/European People’s Party) says the EU needs to strengthen its “democratic shield” against disinformation, manipulation and coordinated networks of anonymous trolls and bots seeking to influence public opinion. He says a new EU legislative initiative is expected to propose banning personal social media accounts for children under 13, limiting content and usage time for those aged 13-14, and requiring platforms to provide a safer design for users aged 15-17. Kovatchev also points to a pilot European age-verification application that would allow users to verify whether they meet a given age requirement without providing personal data directly to large technology companies. He says the European Commission is expected to present a Digital Fairness Act by the end of the year and hopes it will also address anonymous online profiles. On North Macedonia’s EU accession process, Kovatchev says the country is “self-blocking” by failing to meet its commitments, including the constitutional changes concerning the inclusion of Bulgarians, and argues that this is against the interests of its citizens. He also accuses Skopje of “continuing an anti-Bulgarian propaganda campaign” and cites the case of Iva Mihaylova as an example of what he describes as unacceptable treatment resulting from the political dispute with Bulgaria.
ECONOMY
On BNT’s morning show, Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Pekanov commented on the country’s financial situation. “In such a situation, every government faces the question of who should be taxed and who should help overcome the situation, and our choice is clear. Those sectors and businesses that have had nothing to complain about in recent years, which generally benefit from low corporate tax rates, export a large share of their profits, operate in relatively protected sectors, and some of which are natural monopolies, such as telecoms, have made large profits in recent years. Our view is that they can contribute more to closing this budget gap, rather than ordinary households, for which we are providing relief,” he said. Pekanov recalled that Bulgaria was under an excessive deficit procedure, arguing that Prime Minister Rumen Radev’s Government had inherited the situation and therefore could hardly be blamed for it. Regarding concerns that the measures could undermine capital buffers and liquidity and lead to higher borrowing costs for households and businesses, he said empirical studies of similar measures in other countries had shown no such effects. Pekanov cited a study by the Bank of Spain, which showed that lending there had not declined after the introduction of a similar tax and that there had been no adverse effects on households. He said the Government was working to bring the deficit below 3% in 2027. “This will also depend on the overall performance this year. Economic growth is doing better than expected, while inflation is higher than expected. These two factors have helped make the deficit smaller than projected this year. If we start from a better base, our aim is to manage next year,” he said.
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In an interview with BNR, Sofia Commodity Exchange Executive Director Vasil Simov forecast that the coming winters would be more difficult than previous ones. He said crude oil prices had risen by 60-70% year on year, which was inevitably affecting petrol, diesel and gas oil prices. According to Simov, the situation nationwide was “quite alarming”, with every increase in fuel prices affecting both industry and consumers. He said this was the result of a global trend driven by conflicts in oil-producing regions rather than a problem specific to Bulgaria. Regarding inflation, Simov said Bulgaria needed to increase its capacity to produce more, better-quality and cheaper goods to reduce the impact of higher fuel prices. He also said the conflict in Ukraine was directly affecting wheat prices, and consequently flour and bread prices, while Bulgarian farmers were struggling to export their produce because shipping companies were reluctant to enter the Black Sea. He highlighted the additional impact of drought and low Danube water levels, saying that as more than three quarters of Bulgaria’s wheat crop needed to be exported, difficulties in doing so were pushing prices down.
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bTV quoted data from the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria (CITUB), according to which prices of basic food products continue to rise. The small consumer basket has increased by 8.6% year on year, while nearly one-third of household income is spent on food. CITUB also reported large differences between wholesale and retail prices, with mark-ups on some vegetables reaching 130-150%. CITUB President Plamen Dimitrov said mark-ups above 60-70% were “100% speculative” in the case of cucumbers and tomatoes, while also questioning similar mark-ups on packaged products. The Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association (BICA) was more cautious, with Executive Director Dobrin Ivanov saying that speculation must be established under specific rules by the competent authority. However, he described the figures for cucumbers and tomatoes as “absolutely concerning”, saying there appeared to be a breakdown somewhere in the supply chain. He cited Bulgarian tomato producers struggling to sell their produce at low prices while retail prices remained high.
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Trud features an interview with Bulgarian Association of Marine Captains Chair Capt. Stanislav Stoyanov, who says the recent designation of the Black Sea as a high-risk maritime zone will increase shipping costs and reduce maritime traffic, with Bulgaria’s maritime industry also likely to be affected. He notes that the territorial waters of Bulgaria, Romania, Turkiye and Georgia are excluded from the high-risk zone, but ships may still have to take longer routes along safer coastal waters to avoid risks to vessels and crews. According to Stoyanov, the higher costs will ultimately be passed on to consumers, while Bulgarian ship-repair yards may lose clients despite some damaged commercial vessels being sent to Bulgaria for repairs. He also points to a global shortage of 25,000-30,000 maritime officers and calls for greater State support for Bulgaria’s maritime sector, including shipbuilding and ship-repair companies and educational institutions. Stoyanov says the country has well-trained maritime personnel and cites the development of the Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy in Varna, which he argues is now among the world’s top 10 maritime universities.
WORLD
Nova Television showed a report on the Bulgarian community in the French town of Moissac and its years-long conflict with Mayor Romain Lopez of Marine Le Pen’s National Rally. The town of just over 13,000 has a sizeable Bulgarian community, many of whose members work in agriculture. Lopez, who was re-elected for a second term this spring with more than 62% of the vote, says the community has problems with integration, public order and abuse of the social welfare system. He has increased police presence and video surveillance and introduced restrictions and fines aimed at limiting gatherings in public places. Some Bulgarian residents, however, accuse him of turning them into a political target, while others say they hide their Bulgarian origin for fear of losing work. Lopez claims that some seasonal workers deliberately work only enough hours to qualify for unemployment benefits and has also alleged attempts to obtain disability benefits improperly. Bulgarian residents reject the accusations, saying they work seasonally and are entitled to unemployment benefits. The report also highlights growing tensions in agriculture, with some local farmers saying they prefer workers from Poland, Romania or Morocco. Members of the Bulgarian community say the Mayor’s policies have increased discrimination and reduced dialogue, while a local Bulgarian association has sought to improve their integration and representation. Lopez said he hoped a future national policy under Le Pen would restore tighter border controls and allow France to regulate the movement of Bulgarian Roma, adding that he expected there to be fewer Bulgarian Roma in Moissac in 10 years.
Media Review: October 1 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-10-01 10:33:49
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BULGARIA NEWS – NEWS AGENCY 2009–2026 2026-10-01 10:33:49
