Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 5 hours ago
Atanas Tchobanov, a Bulgarian investigative journalist and founder of the portal bird.bg, has gotten used to threats and surveillance. His articles touch on the Bulgarian mafia, oligarchs, state security, and the international arms trade.
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Timestamps:
0:00 From Cleaning Windows to Investigative Reporting
4:12 Investigating a Bulgarian KGB Agent Who Nearly Joined the EU Commission
5:24 Exposing Pentagon Weapons Sent to Syrian Rebel Forces via the Bulgarian Mafia
11:55 US Embassy Warns Atanas About Threats to His Life
17:30 Telling His Family About the Threats
18:30 Returning to Normal Life
20:40 Bulgarian Politicians Buying “Discounted” Real Estate
23:10 Bulgaria Is Slowly Changing
In the interview with Pavla Holcová, he recounts how the Bulgarian mafia sold the Pentagon outdated weapons intended for scrapping. These weapons then made their way to Syrian rebels. Atanas also explains why he became an enemy of oligarch Delyan Peevski and what it means when someone places a plush wolf or a Bulgarian hat on your car parked in front of your apartment in Paris.
Atanas openly describes his most important cases—from fake arms export certificates, to politicians' apartments bought for ridiculous prices, to the warning phone call that changed his life. And he also tells why he continues to write about Bulgaria from exile, even though he knows that a murder contract on him might cost only ten thousand dollars.
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Atanas Tchobanov, a Bulgarian investigative journalist and founder of the portal bird.bg, has gotten used to threats and surveillance. His articles touch on the Bulgarian mafia, oligarchs, state security, and the international arms trade.
Subscribe to OCCRP on YouTube ► https://shorturl.at/BSzsh
Timestamps:
0:00 From Cleaning Windows to Investigative Reporting
4:12 Investigating a Bulgarian KGB Agent Who Nearly Joined the EU Commission
5:24 Exposing Pentagon Weapons Sent to Syrian Rebel Forces via the Bulgarian Mafia
11:55 US Embassy Warns Atanas About Threats to His Life
17:30 Telling His Family About the Threats
18:30 Returning to Normal Life
20:40 Bulgarian Politicians Buying “Discounted” Real Estate
23:10 Bulgaria Is Slowly Changing
In the interview with Pavla Holcová, he recounts how the Bulgarian mafia sold the Pentagon outdated weapons intended for scrapping. These weapons then made their way to Syrian rebels. Atanas also explains why he became an enemy of oligarch Delyan Peevski and what it means when someone places a plush wolf or a Bulgarian hat on your car parked in front of your apartment in Paris.
Atanas openly describes his most important cases—from fake arms export certificates, to politicians' apartments bought for ridiculous prices, to the warning phone call that changed his life. And he also tells why he continues to write about Bulgaria from exile, even though he knows that a murder contract on him might cost only ten thousand dollars.
Follow OCCRP
Instagram ►► instagram.com/occrp
Facebook ►► facebook.com/OCCRP.org
Tik Tok ►► tiktok.com/@occrp.org
LinkedIn ►► linkedin.com/company/the-organized-crime-and-corruption-reporting-project
Twitter ►► https://x.com/OCCRP
