This serious criminal case, well planned, organized and executed, the main goal is to eliminate important witnesses to organized crime, which clearly has protection at the highest – state and political level, but not well erased traces, it is natural that it raises serious concerns for the security and peace of ordinary people, but not only in mountainous and sparsely populated areas, but in the entire country, said Gen. Shivikov
In my opinion, society has been deliberately led into a single hypothesis of suicide of the victims as a result of membership in some hypothetical sect. The entire average “professional“ composition of the Ministry of Interior and the Prosecutor's Office, as well as the media-known “experts“ serving them, who repeat the same thesis. In short briefings or television appearances, we constantly see contradictions and blatant incompetence. - said Gen. Shivikov
I categorically state that the information is untimely, inaccurate, confusing and misleading. What was submitted to the Ministry of Interior was confusing and even contradictory. Here I would like to note the blatant absence of the Minister of Interior and the Secretary General for more than 10 days, as if they had been illegally, and their presence is extremely important at this moment, due to the wide public response to the crime. - added the general.
Dimitar Atanasov Shivikov is a Bulgarian military figure, a senior officer in the Bulgarian Army with the rank of brigadier general, who served as the national commander of the Bulgarian contingent in Afghanistan. Dimitar Shivikov is the author of the motto of the 68th Brigade “Special Forces“ – “Where others cannot“. He is also responsible for the completion of the Orthodox church in the area of the 68th Brigade. Dimitar Shivikov was born on August 18, 1963 in the village of Kurtovo Konare, Stamboliyski Municipality. He completed primary education in his native village, and secondary education at the German language high school in Pazardzhik. Shivikov received his higher education at the National Military University “Vasil Levski“, Veliko Tarnovo, majoring in “Military Intelligence“, and completed the regular course of study at the VA “G. S. Rakovski“. In 2012, Dimitar Shivikov graduated from the US Army War College.
He began his service as an officer in 1986 in the 68th Special Forces Brigade, stationed in Plovdiv, moving through the main command positions in the unit, from platoon commander to deputy brigade commander.
In 2006, Shivikov continued his service in Sofia, as deputy head of the Special Forces Department. in the Land Forces Training Headquarters, and from 2008 to 31.10.2012 he was the head of the department.
On 01.11.2012, Dimitar Shivikov was promoted to brigadier general and appointed commander of the 61st Stryamska Mechanized Brigade.
- General Shivikov, how do you assess the case of the murder in the Petrokhan region from the point of view of security in mountainous and sparsely populated areas?
- Dear Mrs. Al – Ahmed, allow me to answer your questions chronologically, based on the established facts, and leave the conclusions to your readers, because I do not hold an official position and morality does not allow me to speak as a last resort.
- First of all, I would like to emphasize that this is my personal opinion, which does not commit anyone and is based on the information and facts that have become available to the public from official state institutions and other open sources. In addition, my assessment will be refracted through my professional experience and my personal commitment to the ongoing processes in the country. This serious criminal case, well planned, organized and executed, has the main goal of eliminating important witnesses to organized crime, which clearly has protection at the highest state and political level, but not well-erased traces, of course, it raises serious concerns for the security and peace of ordinary people, but not only in mountainous and sparsely populated areas, but in the entire country in general. I do not exclude the possibility that the victims are directly or indirectly part of an organized criminal group. The conclusion that is self-evident is that no resident is protected and cannot be considered safe regardless of where they live.
- In your opinion, what are the main gaps that such serious crimes reveal in the prevention and control system?
- I do not find any gaps, on the contrary, everything follows some excellent sequence, which aims in the future, in the event of force majeure circumstances, to erase the traces of the inspirers, organizers and leaders of the organized criminal group.
And so in order of the facts. The first thing that is striking is the name of the association - State Agency for Control of Protected Territories, which violates the law on the establishment and registration of such non-profit organizations, the same should not be misleading. Associations do not have the legal right to seize the tasks of state institutions for the control and prevention of violations of the law. The imminent signing of the framework agreement with the Ministry of Environment and Water follows; subsequent provision of 5 acres of land to Kalushev; closure of the Ministry of Interior's regional office in Godech; certification of Kalushev's Rook School as a private training school by the Ministry of Education; large financial donations from well-known political figures, in the last few years the victims have officially had no other sources of income; possession of specialized and special high-end transport equipment; a professionally built surveillance and control system and last but not least an unjustified large number of firearms, which should be in complete contrast to the intentions and activities that these individuals were supposed to carry out in this region. After the reports submitted by various institutions and individuals to the competent authorities, we find that there is inaction or concealment of violations of the law by these same authorities. If this is not an intentional omission, how else can we characterize it?
- What is the role of local authorities and state institutions in preventing such incidents?
- It is natural that the role is enormous if the leaders are experienced, responsible people, not subject to party and coterie interests and fulfill their duties as prescribed. For example, the mayor of the village of Gintsi, who was summoned as a substitute, in his first interview with the media gave some information about who or who were first at the crime scene, i.e. the SANS agents, and that they did not allow the representatives of the operational-investigative group to approach the hut for hours. He gave a negative characterization of the victims and only one day later changed his statements 180 degrees. Ah, this person is an experienced official and should know what he is talking about!
- Do you think that the public receives sufficiently timely and clear information in such cases?
- I categorically state that the information is untimely, inaccurate, confusing and misleading. The public must be informed as clearly and accurately as possible in a short time. For hours there was no specifics regarding the circumstances and the initial facts, and they are visible and do not require detailed information. What was submitted to the Ministry of Interior was confusing and even contradictory. Here I would like to note the glaring absence of the Minister of Interior and the Secretary General for more than 10 days, as if they had been living illegally, and their presence is extremely important at this moment, due to the wide public response to the crime. Here I will also add the assessment that was given by the Prosecutor General, comparing it to the thriller “Twin Peaks“. Let us assume that during this time these individuals had other much more – important state tasks. In my opinion, society has been deliberately led into a single hypothesis of suicide of the victims as a result of membership in some hypothetical sect. The entire average “professional” staff of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Prosecutor's Office is harnessed, as well as the media-famous “experts” serving them, who repeat the same thesis. In short briefings or television appearances, we constantly see contradictions and blatant incompetence. For example, an attractive prosecutor claims that it is definitely a matter of suicide and states that one of the victims has two stab wounds, i.e. gunshot wounds to the head, incompatible with life. Here the question immediately follows how a person can shoot himself with two deadly shots one after the other? It is illogical for the corpses to commit suicide outside in front of the hut, next to each other. The statement that in one of the recordings the suicide bombers enter to set the hut on fire is misleading, but there is no smoke or fire. All that is visible is some silhouettes entering the building, shining with a lantern. According to official information, the fire caused enormous damage, destroying the recorded information on the server, but miraculously only the displayed recordings and the room with the religious and sexual literature remained, leading us to the conclusion that this was a sect and ritual suicide. There is still a lot of contradictory information, such as that Kalushev was spotted with his camper on the way to the village of Bulgari, Strandzha region, and there is no confirmation from the cameras of the Toll system, but suddenly, when they found the camper on Okolchitsa peak, recordings from this same system came out and it seems that the authorities had been following Kalushev's route the whole time. From the distributed video recordings, I claim that the general conclusion cannot be drawn that this was a suicide. In my opinion, they are manipulated because, for example, the future victims' lines are heard, but the dog's barking is not heard, and it jumps, plays and barks from time to time. This is visible in the clip. In addition, another car is also seen in one frame, there is no snow under the camper, and in the next frame, where it was before, there is snow, but there are no traces of its movement. There is no way to claim that new snow has fallen, provided that the snow on the stump next to the camper is equally thick at all times. All this destroys trust in institutions.
- How do such crimes affect people's sense of security and how can public trust be restored?
- Such crimes naturally reflect on people and give rise to fear, uncertainty and distrust of all bodies and institutions that are called upon to ensure order, peace and security of people. With the answer to the previous question, I think I answered how and why such crimes have a detrimental effect on society, but the blame remains with the actions or inactions of the institutions. Trust would be restored in this particular case only if all types of records from the first to the last minute, from the first to the last day without manipulation and the photographic material of the victims in front of the hut and in the camper, as well as the damage from the fire, were published.
- Is it necessary to strengthen the presence of the police or army in certain risky areas in your opinion?
- Yes, this presence is necessary, but for the police. The army does not have the authority to ensure internal order. She has other responsibilities that are clearly stated.
- What is your appeal to the institutions and to the citizens after the incident in Petrohan?
- My appeal to the institutions and more precisely to those on whom it depends who is at the head of the institutions is to appoint competent, responsible, independent and experienced personnel, not novices and "ladybugs". To the citizens not to give in to suggestions and panic.
Let's move on now to domestic politics, where there are also quite a few question marks.
- How do you assess the political situation in the country on the eve of the upcoming elections?
- The political situation is repulsive, disheartening and extremely acute. The parties of the status quo, and these are the parliamentary representatives and their leaders deliberately seek confrontation and an offensive tone towards their opponents in order to be under the “spotlight“ and to mobilize their shrinking circle of supporters and voters. They do not offer anything constructive and unifying in the name of the Fatherland and the well-being of the people. Their field of opposition, on the one hand, is along the axis of communism – anti-communism, although 36 years have passed since the beginning of the dreamed-of democracy, and on the other, Ukraine – Russia. In my opinion, they should be focused entirely on domestic policies and offer feasible solutions. But, I strongly emphasize that in the upcoming elections we already have an absolute alternative of who to support and this appears not as a ray, but as a bright light of hope and confidence at the end of the tunnel, that finally – the end of the 36 – year destructive transition is coming. This alternative has its specific carrier and this is the real General Rumen Radev.
- In your opinion, what are the main reasons for the decline in trust in traditional parties?
- The main reason is the faces of the parties, who have become odious figures with their actions, with their betrayal of the voters and their constant readiness and real collaboration in narrow party interests. Their behavior is brutally arrogant and haughty towards the voters, but servile and condescending towards their mentors from foreign embassies and capitals. On the other hand, there is their personal blatant simplicity, incompetence and inability to create something positive and working. We should not forget the well-paid “experts“ who serve them and who, with their constant appearance in the media, pour grist into the mill of disgust for the political status quo.
- How do you view the change of the BSP chairman - a necessary reform or a belated reaction?
I do not want to comment on internal party problems, especially those of the BSP, but this is a belated reaction, because in my opinion there can be no talk of reform, since the new young leader is from the party's status quo. The leadership of this party has betrayed its members and supporters. With the new chairman, an attempt is being made to stop the self-destruction of the “old lady”, but having friends who are long-time members or have voted for the BSP from the beginning until now, they tell me that they will no longer vote for the BSP, but will support the future Prime Minister Rumen Radev.
- In what direction do you think the BSP should develop in order to regain public support?
- The BSP must return to the working people and really fight and defend their rights and interests. It must be social, conservative, more – a little bit focused on Brussels and to actually restore and subsequently pursue a policy of equality, openness and friendship with Russia.
- How do you assess the domestic political line of President Rumen Radev in recent years?
- President Rumen Radev, in domestic politics, followed a systematic, consistent, moderate and focused on the problems of ordinary people policy according to his powers.
- Do you think there is a real public niche for a political project related to President Radev?
- I am firmly convinced and believe that Rumen Radev acted responsibly, statesmanlike and visionary, retiring prematurely from the presidential post in order to respond worthily to the call of history. Yes, he is a hope and inspiration for the millions of disillusioned voters who will support him. It is very important to unite and lead knowledgeable, capable and dedicated individuals to the Bulgarian cause.
- What risks and opportunities does the emergence of a new party around the head of state bring to the political system?
- The risks are for the status quo, because it will lose. Especially in terms of - small parties will leave the political scene ingloriously. Radev and the people supporting him will mark the beginning of the end of the political - oligarchic model of governance. This will not happen with a magic wand, we will have to go through another parliamentary and local elections to fight the political hydra.
- In your opinion, can the elections lead to stable governance or will the country remain in a cycle of political instability?
- With the victory of General Radev, political instability will calm down, he will form a government with a clear and definite term of office in order to succeed in seizing power from the mafia octopus, but he will need the next parliamentary elections to form a constitutional majority to restore the pogrom against the constitution and the state regulatory and law enforcement bodies by appointing independent and competent leaders.
- What role should people with military and expert experience have in Bulgarian politics today?
- As boastful as it may sound, such people should play an important role in Bulgarian politics, because they are trained and prepared to be leaders, because they know the decision-making processes and to govern skillfully and confidently. Because they are subject to the oath to serve the Fatherland and the people.
Interview with Olya AL-AHMEED