Iva Mikhailova was spotted in a bar in Kochani on the evening before she left North Macedonia, the country’s Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski said. According to him, from that moment until she appeared in Bulgaria, not a single security camera at the border crossings or along the road routes captured either Mikhailova or her lawyer, Nikolay Dimitrov.
“The investigation into how Mikhailova left the country is continuing,” Toshkovski said in an interview with Sitel TV. He stated that so far there was no information indicating that border police officers or police officers in Kochani had assisted her in leaving the country.
According to the minister, the official registers contain no information that Mikhailova crossed the border in 2026. He pointed out that the data received from the Bulgarian border authorities also did not show a registered entry into Bulgaria under her name that year.
Toshkovski rejected claims that police officers had recognised Mikhailova and spoken to her while she was crossing the border. He also criticised Bulgaria, accusing it of providing protection to individuals suspected or convicted of crimes. This is the position of North Macedonia’s interior minister, not an established conclusion of the investigation.
The case in Kochani
Iva Mikhailova, who holds Bulgarian and North Macedonian citizenship, is facing charges in a case involving a fatal road accident. In October 2025, the authorities confiscated her passports and prohibited her from leaving Kochani. Her name was also added to the list of people banned from leaving North Macedonia.
Until her departure, Mikhailova had complied with the restrictions imposed by the court and had regularly reported to the police station in Kochani, Toshkovski clarified.
On 12 October 2026, it became known that Mikhailova was in Bulgaria. That same day, she was admitted to Pirogov Hospital in Sofia. The case caused diplomatic tensions between Sofia and Skopje.
Mikhailova and her lawyer stated that they had crossed through an official border crossing, where she presented her identity documents issued by both countries. However, North Macedonia’s Interior Ministry claims that no such crossing appears in the border authorities’ information system.
At the prosecutor’s request, the court in Kochani ordered 30 days of pre-trial detention, and Mikhailova was placed on an international wanted list. The investigation into how she left North Macedonia is continuing.
Sources: nova.bg