EP 09

How the Bulgarian Mafia Sold Weapons to the Pentagon

"We have reliable information that someone wants to physically harm you," a man from the US Embassy in Sofia told him over the phone. Atanas Tchobanov, a Bulgarian investigative journalist and founder of the portal bird.bg, has gotten used to threats and surveillance. His articles touch on the Bulgarian mafia, oligarchs, state security, and the international arms trade.
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About the Episode

In the interview with Pavla Holcová, he recounts how the Bulgarian mafia sold the Pentagon outdated weapons intended for scrapping. These weapons then made their way to Syrian rebels. Atanas also explains why he became an enemy of oligarch Delyan Peevski and what it means when someone places a plush wolf or a Bulgarian hat on your car parked in front of your apartment in Paris.
Atanas openly describes his most important cases—from fake arms export certificates, to politicians' apartments bought for ridiculous prices, to the warning phone call that changed his life. And he also tells why he continues to write about Bulgaria from exile, even though he knows that a murder contract on him might cost only ten thousand dollars.
An episode about a journalist who does not give up—even when the price for the truth can be high.


Pavla Holcova
HOST

Pavla Holcová

Pavla Holcová is an investigative journalist and the regional editor for Central Europe at OCCRP. Based in Prague, she founded investigace.cz and has contributed to high-profile investigations such as the Panama Papers and the Pegasus Project. Alongside her colleague Ján Kuciak, she exposed ties between Slovak politicians and the Italian mafia. Following the murder of her colleague, Ján Kuciak, she continued his work, contributing to an investigation that profoundly destabilised the Slovak political landscape. She is the recipient of the ICFJ Knight Award, the Allard Prize, and the Anthony Lewis Prize. In 2024-25 she was a John S. Knight Fellow at Stanford.
Atanas Tchobanov
guest

Atanas Tchobanov

Atanas Tchobanov is the founder of BIRD.bg, a board member of OCCRP, and a pioneer of data-driven journalism in Bulgaria. He has uncovered connections between organised crime and state institutions, contributing to major international investigations such as the Pandora Papers, the Azerbaijani and Troika Laundromats, OpenLux, and the FinCEN Files. Holding a PhD in computational linguistics, he is also an expert in digital security and data analysis. He is co-recipient of the 2024 European Press Prize, the 2020 Sigma Award, and the Global Shining Light Award Certificate of Excellence in both 2017 and 2018.

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