Social and criminal psychologist Rosen Yordanov commented in the studio of "The Day Begins with Georgi Lyubenov" on the tragic "Petrohan" case with six victims, which shook the country.
According to him, hasty conclusions and political interpretations only obscure the real issues - the motives, the mechanisms of influence and the possible institutional shortcomings.
Yordanov emphasized that one cannot speak of a single motive:
"First, we have six deaths. Most likely we have five suicides and one murder, or four suicides and two murders. So we cannot generalize the motives for everyone. Secondly, motives are the most difficult thing when you have to analyze such a big crime - even more so when we are just getting to know the life and activities of these people."
According to him, in addition to individual, group motives may have been at work, which further complicates the analysis.
The psychologist drew attention to the structure of the group and the possible functional roles in it:
"We have a person who is a lawyer. We have a person who is an accountant. And we have a person who most likely dealt with the organization's PR - creating websites, attracting people and children to the camps. If we divide them into these roles, it begins to resemble an organization."
He pointed out that explanations cannot be sought only in religious or forensic frameworks:
"An explanation from Buddhism alone or an explanation from forensics alone will not be enough. We need psychology as well."
Yordanov also commented on the lifestyle of the group's leader - Ivaylo Kalushev:
"Imagine how Ivaylo Kalushev lived - traveling around the world, research projects, buying real estate. Little by little, you start to get used to this lifestyle. You detach yourself from the world. We are talking about a lifestyle.
Rosen Yordanov questioned the definition of "ritual suicide":
"I would not be too quick to say that it is about ritualism. There may be ritualism in taking the children to Okolchitsa – there is symbolism there. But I would not generalize."
According to the psychologist, there are two main hypotheses:
"The first motive I would call financial. The financial well has begun to seriously thin out over time. I associate the second motive with the processes of exposing this group – signals from parents, especially fathers and stepfathers of affected children."
He emphasized that specific answers are needed:
"How and when do the processes start and who is specifically responsible? What exactly was the signal that did not reach the prosecutor's office? Why is it not enough? To search for the file, to see who sanctioned."
In his words, such structures are often characterized by a sense of superiority - moral, intellectual, aesthetic.
When asked whether the institutions - the Regional Office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Montana, the State Agency for Child Protection and the National Agency for National Security - could have prevented the tragedy, Yordanov replied:
"Technologically, this is how things can happen. A signal is received. They call the mother, she says: "He's lying". An unmotivated employee closes the case. Option two - report it higher up, call a minister, say "Don't overdo it". These options exist."
The case continues to raise many questions - both about the mechanisms of influence in closed communities and about the reaction of institutions to signals of violence. According to Rosen Yordanov, the answers will require a thorough investigation and a refusal of hasty political interpretations.