"Petrohan' Case: Ministry of Interior Report Reveals Alerts Filed Aganst Ivaylo Kalushev's NGO

Bulgaria’s Ministry of Interior on February 17 released an expanded report on the NGO led by Ivaylo Kalushev, entitled "National Agency for Control of Protected Areas', revealing its structure and a series of signals filed against it (since it was established in 2022).

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Six people have been found dead in suspected murder-suicides - three bodies, including that of a 15 year old, were found in a camper van parked in a remote area of Stara Planina near Okolchitsa Peak on Sunday, February 8. Investigators said they were connected to three others found dead near a burned 'Petrohan' Lodge on February 2.

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The document shows that files relating to an inquiry carried out in 2022 are missing from the archives of the police department in the town of Godech. It also notes that some materials were forwarded to prosecutors. In late 2023, the mayor of Sofia is said to have proposed that the border police cooperate with Kalushev’s NGO.

The BNT News has also obtained a letter from the 'Anti-Corruption Fund' Foundation (an independent, expert civic organisation ) to the Ministry of Interior requesting, under the Law on Access to Public Information, details of any investigations opened into the NGO.

According to the Inspectorate Directorate of the Ministry of the Interior, the first alert dates back to 2 February 2022, when a report was filed at the police station in Berkovitsa about vigilantism near the Petrohan lodge. It alleged that members of the so-called Petrohan Patrol Rangers (the members of NGO were often referred to as "forest rangers') behaved arrogantly and issued threats. Officers visited the site and determined the events fell within the remit of regional police department in Godech, to which the report was forwarded. What work was subsequently carried out remains unclear: after the closure of the police department in Godech (in 2022), the file was passed to Kostinbrod police department, later returned to Godech, but is now missing from the police station's archive.

A second report came from caretaker Minister of Environment, Rositsa Blagova, concerning an agreement signed by Borislav Sandov (Deputy Prime Minister for Climate Policies and Minister of Environment and Water from December 13, 2021 to August 2, 2022) between the environment ministry and Kalushev’s private association. The signal was passed to then Minister of Interior, Ivan Demerdzhiev, who on 12 October 2022 referred it to the Ministry of Interior’s Chief Secretary. The case was assigned to the 'National Police' directorate and the collected materials were sent to the Prosecutor's Office. The file was not subsequently returned to the Ministry of Interior.

Another complaint, submitted by the grandparents of an eight-year-old child, alleged that the child had been placed at risk. Days later, the same complainants sent a second report claiming Kalushev had learned about the first. The report details actions taken in response to both submissions, notes that one was later withdrawn, and that the district Prosecutor’s Office in Kostinbrod declined to open pre-trial proceedings.

The Ministry of Interior's report also refers to a February 2022 alert filed with the directorate for combatting organised crime alleging sexual offences involving minors. The person who gave information on the case requested anonymity due to safety concerns. Work on that case was not fully documented and the file was closed in May 2023 after the time limit for statutory investigation expired.

It is further noted that Kalushev’s association itself has never filed reports with the Interior Ministry about alleged offences or wrongdoings. Local police were aware that residents at the Petrohan lodge possessed a modern drone with thermal imaging capability, off-road vehicles and snowmobiles.

In late 2023, the leadership of the Border Police directorate was informed by the Sofia mayor that acquaintances of his — volunteer environmentalists who often stayed at the lodge — could assist officers in their work.

The ministery's report lists several occasions on which Kalushev's NGO provided assistance to the Ministry of Interior. In October 2024, its drone helped locate four people believed to be illegal migrants. On 16 September 2025, it again assisted police with a drone search for a man suspected of shooting a woman.

The document also summarises a request from the civic organisation 'Anti-Corruption Fund' Foundation seeking information on complaints received about Ivaylo Kalushev's association and what action the Ministry of Interior has taken on them. The letter notes that the information available to the 'Anti-Corruption Fund' Foundation gives grounds to believe there is a risk of abuse and institutional pressure being exerted on an internationally and nationally recognised organisation carrying out a unique form of systematic civic monitoring of protected natural areas in Bulgaria.

Materials from 'Petrohan' Case Investigation Submitted to Parliament Speaker Raya Nazaryan