The people killed near the hut near the "Petrohan" pass were from the so-called "National Agency for Control of Protected Areas" who prevented several fires in the mountains using drones. They constantly monitored the area for poachers. I have no doubt that they were picking on suspicious people. However, this does not seem to me to be a reason for murder, rather they witnessed something they should not have seen. It is entirely possible that they filmed something, and the purpose of the fire in the hut was to destroy the recordings from the cameras.
This is what he said in the studio of "Hello, Bulgaria" OFFNews editor-in-chief Vladimir Yonchev, who knew the murdered people personally and visited the hut in question many times.
He identified one of the deceased - Ivaylo Kalushev, with whom he had the closest contact, as a well-known figure in the world of speleology.
Investigators are working on several versions - from premeditated murder, ritual crime to suicide. None of these versions has been officially confirmed.
„Kalushev had founded a forum for extreme experiences - a main channel for mountaineers. He closed it when its members began to quarrel, not cooperate. At one time, he had taken a khan near Dryanovo with a few friends and toured the caves in the area, he also lived in Mexico. From the Petrohan Pass all the way to the Iskar Gorge is the most beautiful mountain - Ponor. I have been to the area hundreds of times. The largest cave system is located there. The region is suitable for unregulated hunting, wood poaching and for "picking" stones for rock gardens. Kalushev always organized courses, instilled love and respect for nature. If there were people who didn't like him, it was because he discovered caves that he didn't tell many people about. The main meaning for him was to protect the mountain,“ said Yonchev.
According to him, all three of the murdered men were wealthy. “Ivaylo was a lawyer for a large American firm, he never had a problem with money. He was a settled, mature man. Decho had an accounting firm, and Plamen was a diving instructor. The three of them were in Mexico for a while - exploring underwater caves. Ivaylo was a Buddhist, but he was also an ascetic. I am sure that he did not commit murder, he should not be called a pedophile and unstable, this means that there is no investigation, but slander. There was probably pressure on him from several structures, he decided that if he left, he would protect others, but he did not succeed. In my opinion, there were no tourists or poachers there in this snow at the beginning of February“, the journalist added to his story.
He also revealed that Kalushev was involved in mountaineering camps.
The organization associated with the hut is called the “National Agency for Control of Protected Territories“ — formally a non-governmental structure, registered in 2022 and declared as engaged in nature conservation activities. Its members, including the three men whose bodies were found near the hut, were among its founders.
In February 2022, a framework agreement was signed between this organization and the Ministry of Environment and Water (MoEW) for cooperation in nature conservation in protected areas, which expanded the scope of activities that they could carry out — formulated as regulatory and control functions, which by law are reserved for state structures and cannot be delegated to NGOs. The structure is not a state body and does not have a license for security activities.
Journalist from Club Z Stefan Milanov noted that there are most likely recordings and hard drives in the hut.
„It is not known what the investigation has at its disposal. The question is whether it is a double murder and suicide or another version. The Prosecutor General should speak with specificity, not with movie terms like “Twin Peaks“. On January 12 and 13, 2022, the murdered registered three companies, and on February 8 they already signed the agreement with the Ministry of Environment and Water. Why did they have an agreement that does not give any rights to the newly created agency, nor does it harm the department? Hardly anyone can get it," he commented.
Investigations by state structures, including the National Security Agency, have been directed at the activities of this organization for several years now, and the inspections have also been sent to the prosecutor's office. This is related not only to the nature of its conservation activities, but also to the way in which it has organized and controlled the territory around “Petrohan“, imposing access bans, fences and guards, as well as the presence of minors who were alleged to be at the camp.