Overview
- Three defendants appeared in court after extraditions from Croatia and Bulgaria, while alleged organizer Mircho Angelov is tried in absentia.
- Confidential DGSI notes cited in court say two suspects received instructions in Russian via Telegram as part of a hierarchical proxy model.
- Prosecutors asked for four-year terms for Nikolay Ivanov and Angelov and two-year terms for Georgi Filipov and Kiril Milushev, pointing to organized, foreign-directed intent.
- Filipov admitted painting the memorial for €1,000 and Milushev said he filmed for €500; Ivanov acknowledged funding travel and lodging but denied pro‑Russian motives.
- Investigators flagged subsequent trips to Germany and Switzerland and reported online amplification by thousands of inauthentic accounts linked to Russia, situating the case among nine similar incidents under investigation.