The former young hope of the BKP studied in the USSR, Kostov's former deputy minister, Plevneliev's former acting minister, former DB MP and current military “expert” Velizar Shalamanov participated in a publication entitled “5 uncomfortable questions for crashed pilots”. I hope the journalists will not be angry with me that I will borrow their title and answer five plus one uncomfortable questions to Mr. Shalamanov.
This commented on "Facebook" the adviser to the president Dimitar Stoyanov.
First, Mr. Shalamanov asks why the black box will be read in the Czech Republic, when it could be done in our country.
Does Mr. Shalamanov know the exact condition of the black box and what are the capabilities to read it in Bulgaria? If he doesn't know why is he speculating? And if he's just speculating, will he take responsibility for fueling yet another conspiracy theory that will pop up in the dark corners of social media?
Second question – Mr. Shalamanov states that his friend and former business partner Todor Tagarev, while he was a minister, allegedly did not allow the case of the accident with Major Terziev to be completed. If there really was such a conversation and indeed Mr. Tagarev boasted about such a thing, then several disturbing questions arise:
Do we have a case related to articles 143 (coercion) and 289 (indulgence of an official) of the Penal Code? Quite separately – where is the separation of the executive from the judiciary? And of course, what do the Military Prosecutor's Office think about this statement?
Third question – Mr. Shalamanov asks about the open flying day, which he perceives as an air show, about the organization, about the figures and other things.
And I ask, namely, is Mr. Shalamanov familiar with STANAG 3533, which treats the organization of such an event? Is he familiar with the differences between a flying day and an open flying day? What are they and how important are they? Did Mr. Shalamanov organize such events? And if he is not familiar and did not organize, should he title himself as a military expert?
Fourth question – Mr. Shalamanov claims that because of the open flying day, all our aviation was gathered at one airport and this brought risks.
And I am interested, why Mr. Shalamanov is again trying to launch conspiracy theories and what is his goal with them?
Fifth question – Mr. Shalamanov asks if the two dead pilots really attended Rumen Radev's briefing minutes before the flight. He also claims that the rules are that two hours before a flight the pilots are isolated in the altitude house to study only the task they are going to perform.
I wonder if Mr. Shalamanov is ill-informed or is he again falling into conspiracies when he pushes the fake news that there was some sort of briefing minutes before the flight? Mr. Shalamanov should know that the so-called “briefing” with President Radev ended nearly two hours before the fatal flight. I also wonder where Mr. Shalamanov comes up with the fact that the pilots sit under lock and key for two hours before a task? Has Mr. Shalamanov set foot on a combat airfield? If not, while he was a deputy, official or deputy. minister, at least while he was an officer of the BNA?
And finally, a bonus question. Mr. Shalamanov is often portrayed as a military expert. And sometimes as “doctor” and “associate professor” implying that these academic titles are related to military science.
A quick check in the Register of Academic Positions and Dissertations shows that his doctorate (so his thesis is written in Russian) is in the professional field of “Communication and Computer Engineering”, and his academic position is “docent” is from the Institute of Information and Communication Technologies of the BAS and is in the professional field of "Electrical Engineering, Electronics and Automation".
Of course, nothing bad about the engineering sciences in which Mr. Shalamanov specializes, but does that make him the military expert he is often advertised as? Or is it just that the more you talk about a topic on TV, the more of an expert you become? And in connection with his “expertise” did he receive a fat fee from the MoD to be a “host/moderator” at a hollow conference held this winter in Tech Park Sofia?
It is good for some people, looking in the mirror in the morning, to ask themselves the following question – Can I make a qualitative contribution to the public debate on a given topic, or am I just a person looking for small benefits, throwing speculations around the death of two worthy Bulgarian officers?